Cheetah on Patrol - Healing
by JoeyJoBobJunior
Summary: In a direct sequel/epilogue to "Sacrifices", Nick and Judy's broken relationship is slowly starting to mend while the newly adopted kids are getting used to their new lives. Judy has a new partner of the force, Benjamin Clawhauser. Back on active duty, Ben is learning the ropes again while also dealing with his love life with officer Fangmeyer. Rated M for some adult situations.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: It's A New Day! Yes It Is!

 **A/N The Wilhelm Scream ain't got nothing on the Goofy scream. After all the violence and drama from "Sacrifices", this is like a breath of fresh air.**

 **PREVIOUSLY ON THE BIG CHEESE SAGA**

After a bowling game which saw Clawhauser and Fangmeyer get together and Nick and Judy unite as a couple, they got into a big fight and broke up in Bunnyburrow just 24 hours later. During their time in Bunnyburrow, they discovered a deep, dark secret the family had been keeping from them. Red tail hawks had taken over the town and were feeding on the elderly and handicapped kits, forcing parents to sacrifice their young. During that time, Nick and Judy rescued/adopted four children. Nick took Christine AKA "Cotton", a crippled lamb who's the niece of Dawn Bellwether, Peter AKA "Petey", a bunny with tourettes syndrome and a bad lisp who came from an abusive family and Vivian AKA "Spots", a teenage hyena girl who occasionally has violent fits. Judy adopted her blind little brother Michael.

Michael, Cotton and Petey are currently being babysat by Nick's mother several miles away from the city to keep them safe while Nick and Judy prepare a place for them. Predator on prey crimes are still on the rise and the ZPD is preparing for "the purge", a day predator criminals say is coming soon. Nick and Judy stopped being partners. The ZPD still have no clue who the ring leader of this purge, "The Big Cheese" is or his whereabouts. Now Nick has two days off before going undercover and Judy has a new partner, Benjamin Clawhauser.

 **Tuesday October 27th, 12:15pm**

Judy was walking with her new partner, Ben to the parking lot. Her last few days have been harrowing. Full of heartbreak, horror and loss, but also a new sense of purpose in life. She found out she was adopted and met her blood relations. She also gained a new son in her baby brother Michael that she saved from some evil hawks. Sadly, she also broke up with Nick after only being together for 24 hours and having shot a detained hawk in the head, killing it instantly has messed with her mind. Not to mention her son telling her to her face that he hated her and wanted to go back to Bunnyburrow. A new partner and a new ride was the exact thing she needed to take her mind off of her problems.

"Wolf and Stein said the new ride's already to go and out in the parking lot. I can't wait! The last few days have been insane and I need something to distract me. It's great to have you aboard Ben!...Ben?"

Ben was leaning against the wall, sobbing. "I can't believe it's over! It's all over! BAAW-HAAHAAWW!"

Judy tried to comfort Ben. "Hey! I'm the one who broke up with him! Not you!"

" _SNIFF!_ You two were the ultimate couple everyone rooted for in the ZPD! You were so cute together!"

"Hey! What did I tell you about the 'C' word?!"

"If you two can't make it happen, what chance do me and Fangmeyer have?! I should just break up with her now." He went and got out his cell phone.

Judy grabbed it from him. "What?! No! Just because me and Nick made mistakes doesn't mean you and Fangs will! She loves you! Just...calm down, okay?!"

" _SNIFF!_ O-Okay! Let's hit the road...partner!" Ben managed to get a smile up.

"That's the spirit!" Judy said, giving him a slight punch on the arm.

They arrived at the parking lot where Wolf and Stein were waiting. Her jaw almost hit the floor. There, in front of Chief Bogo was Judy Hopps new ride.

"Wowzers!" Was all she could say.

Bogo had a smile on his face for a change. He was proud of his new baby.

"Miss Hopps, let me introduce you to your new ride, 'The Bad Buster'! A 250 horsepower Motorcycle with a side car that can be disconnected and driven separately, The tires are designed to handle any terrain! From the wet streets of the Rainforest district, to the icy streets of Tundratown!"

Judy was curious. "Why are there dummies standing out front here?"

"To show you the firepower on this bad boy!" Bogo said proudly.

"Firepower?!" Judy and Ben said together.

Bogo squeezed a trigger on the bike. Several darts came out and he managed to steer the front wheel enough to hit all the targets.

"On the front, below the headlight is a tiny turret that can fire up to 20 darts in rapid succession! Plus rapid rubber bullets underneath that!"

"Holey Moley!" Shouted Judy.

"Not only that, but hidden on the sides of the cycle are two stun grenade launchers full of knock out gas!"

"Amazing!"

Ben looked concerned. "Uuuh chief? Are you sure you wanna give that much firepower to ummm..." He gestures his head towards Judy.

"Hey!" She said in protest.

"No need to worry Clawhauser. I trust Judy's judgment. Also, these are all non-lethal weapons! So why don't you two go ahead and give it a ride!"

Judy jumped on bike. "Wow! So the motorcycle itself is a two-seater? We could have up to three people in this bad boy! I love the bunny ears for the back rest of the cycle!"

"It was made with you in mind. The side car also acts as a temporary detention until you get the suspects here." Bogo said. "It was also in production before you and Wilde wrecked two vehicles!"

Judy shrugged her shoulders in embarrassment. "Heh-Heh! Yeah! Sorry about that! Let's rev her up!"

Judy revved up the engine. She felt the strong vibration of the 250HP engine between her legs. It sent a pleasurable chill up her spine.

"Wooohohohohooa!"

She revved it again. Her face was drooling with delight. Her tongue hung out.

"Ooooooh yeah!"

Bogo looked concerned. "Officer Hopps. Are you okay?"

"Can I...Can I have five minutes alone with the motorcycle? Oh heck! Who am I kidding! I'm a rabbit. I just need two!"

"My turn to try the side car!" Said Ben. He ran over and jumped into the seat at full force.

"No Ben! Wait!"

It caused a teeter-totter effect. Clawhauser jumped into the side car which caused the motorcycle to tilt up so hard it shot Judy 100 feet into the air.

"YAAAAAAH-HOY-HOY-HOYEE!"

Ben realized his mistake. "Uh-Ooooh!" There was a moment of silence.

"I'm okay!" Judy yelled. "I landed on the roof! I'll be down in a sec!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I think I may need help."

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick had arrived back at Judy's apartment. His new Hyena daughter, Spots was helping him pack. As they were heading out and onto the streets. They were stopped by his Wolverine landlord, Miss Logan.

"HEY WILDE! YOU LEAVIN' US?!"

"Yeah. Judy kicked me out and really, I need more room anyway. I ended up adopting three kids over the weekend and need at least a three room apartment."

"WELL THAT'S A DAMN SHAME! I WAS JUST STARTIN' TA LIKE YOU! HOLD ON!" She left for a moment.

Spots was kinda disgusted by her. "Hey Dad! Doesn't that ugly thing have any other volume but loud?!"

"Not really, freckle-neck." Nick replied. Then they heard a commotion.

"HEY MR. TUCKENROLL! YOU'RE 3 MONTHS DUE ON THE RENT! YA GOT IT?!"

"You know times are tough for me and the family right now Logan! I'll have the money first thi-AAAAHHH!"

Nick watched as the armadillo was thrown out the second floor window. He bounced off the awning and landed while rolled in a ball. He was startled, but other wise okay. His wife and three kids followed suit. Nick helped catch them as they landed.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Screamed the tenant.

"NO PAY?! AMSCRAY! I'LL TOSS YOUR LUGGAGE DOWN!" She tossed clothes, luggage bags and more down. It rained small clothes and other items all over the street.

"Lookout kids!" The armadillo dodged the things being tossed out and put his kids under a table to protect them.

"NOW COLLECT YER CRAP AND GET OUTTA HERE! HEY WILDE! I GOT A THREE ROOM APARTMENT AVAILABLE AND IT'S FULLY FURNISHED! YA WANT IT?!"

"Some of that stuff's mine!" shouted Mr. Tuckenroll.

"NOT ANY MORE! YOU SHOULDA READ YOUR CONTRACT CLOSER!" HURRY UP WILDE! I AIN'T GOT ALL DAY!"

"I'll take it! I'll take it!" Nick yelled. He talked to the Tuckenrolls. "Hey guys? Stay here. I'll bring some of your stuff down." He and Spots ran back into the complex. He went inside and checked out the apartment. It was great. Three bedrooms, a living room, bathroom and kitchen.

"This is just what we need!" Nick said to Spots.

Spots was chuckling. "Look over there!" Nick realized it too. He had a big grin on his face. Turns, out their apartment was directly across from his old one. Judy was now his closest neighbor.

"This is gonna be rich!" Nick's joyful moment was interrupted by Miss Logan. "YA GOT THE DEPOSIT FOR THIS?! IT'S THREE THOUSAND!"

" _Uh-Oh."_ Thought Nick. "N-Not right now, but I'm going down to the bank and we'll have the money before the end of the day."

"YOU BETTER! OR ELSE I'LL THROW YA OFF A HIGHER WINDOW!AND YOU WON'T HAVE THE ARMOUR TO PROTECT YOU FROM IT!"

" _GULP!_ Don't w-worry Miss Logan! I have the money at the end of the day for sure! And might I add you look especially disgusting today and you have fair fragrance not unlike zombie diarrhea!"

Spots was shocked. "DAD! Are you crazy?! Sorry maa'm! I need to talk to my father for a second!"

"I'LL BE DOWNSTAIRS WITH MY NEW FIANCE, YOU OLD HONEY DRIPPER!"

She pulled Nick into the apartment and shut the door. "What's wrong with you! Yea, she may be ugly and kinda smelly, but we need to be nice to her to keep this place!"

"Sorry Spots, I should have told you this sooner. Adult Wolverines tend to look and smell and act pretty nasty. It's just who they are and they actually take great pride in it, so to insult Miss Logan is to compliment her."

"Seriously?"

"Yup. The more you tell her how ugly and stinky she is, the more she likes it. Just don't tick her off. She's a hell of a fighter."

Spots rubbed her hands with glee."Oh mammal! This is gonna be sweet!" She looked around the room some more. "Oh look! We got an X-Bucks One!"

"Noooo. That belongs to the Tuckenrolls! Besides, we got a Pawstation 4. Speaking of which..."

Nick called down to the armadillos down on the street. "Hey Mr. Tuckenroll! C'mon up!...Mr. Tuckenroll?...Hello?...Hunh, I guess they left!"

"Free X-Bucks One for my room!" Cheered Spots

"Don't get your hopes up." Nick replied.

"Y'know dad, back in elementary school, I used to have an armadillo friend on my basketball team."

"What position did he play?"

"The ball!" Spots started to laugh.

"Very cute. Now let's get going. We're gonna have to make a trip to the bank and pray I have enough in savings to not only make the deposit, but get a nice used mini van."

"You said you've been putting into savings since you were a kid and with interest, you may have quite a bit!"

"I doubt it, but we'll see."

They walked down and saw Miss Logan chatting with her new boyfriend/fiancee Patch.

"Woah! Double the ugly!" Spots commented.

"THANK YOU!" They both shouted back.

"Oh! Before we leave, I forgot to introduce you to my new daughter. This is Vivian. I call her Spots. She's a fourteen year old hyena and a proud, open lesbian. I have two more kids that my mom is babysitting."

"WELL AIN'T THAT NICE?! I GOTTA NIECE WHO'S LESBIAN TOO! SHE'S GONNA BE AT THE GAY PRIDE PARADE TONIGHT!"

"Cool!" Said Nick. "Are you sure it's not the 'Pride pride' parade for the lions? Because they get those two mixed up sometimes."

"NAH! IT'S DEFINITELY THE GAY ONE!"

Nick looked over at Spots. "You wanna go to that one sweetie? I think Fangmeyer might be going to that. She's on the force. She's not a lesbian, but transsexual."

"Sounds cool." said Spots. "Yeah! I'll go!"

"GREAT! I'LL BE TAKING MY NIECE MYSELF! SEE YA THERE!"

"We'll come back soon with the deposit." said Nick.

"See you later Logan!" added Spots. "You and your man smell like armpits if they could fart!"

"WELL AINT YOU SWEET?! MY NEW SWEETHEART'S NAME IS PATCH! SAY HELLO DARLING!"

Patch looked at Nick. "I'VE MADE THE BIGGEST MISTAKE IN MY LIFE! PLEASE KILL ME!"

"AWWW! HE SAYS THE SWEETEST THINGS! YOU TWO ENJOY YOUR DAY NOW!"

Nick and Spots waved goodbye and headed out.

 **Meanwhile...**

Judy felt the wind brush past her fuzzy cheeks as her and Ben were speeding in their new ride. It felt wonderful. Her and Ben had hit the road. They both had their own custom helmets as well. Judy's has slots on top for her ears to poke out of while Ben's have cheetah ear shapes with tiny holes for air to vent through and for Ben to be able to hear.

"This is awesome!" Shouted Judy.

"Whoo!" Shouted Ben. "Let's hit the best spots! Winchell's... Dunkin's... Krispy Greens... Cinnabone..."

"We're out here to protect and serve Clawhauser, not eat sweets!"

"Aww poo!"

Just then, they heard a lady scream. "Help! My purse! That lynx nabbed my purse!"

Judy saw the lynx running across the street and put on her siren. The lynx saw them running and took off down the street.

"Stop in the name of the law!" Judy shouted. She shot two darts out, but the lynx dodged them and one of them hit a hippo on the leg.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Shouted Judy.

Luckily, the darts were meant mainly for small mammals. The hippo wasn't knocked out, but it did make him feel woozy. "It'z ooOkay bunny! I fEel gOOd!"

The lynx darted down an alley. "We're too wide!" Shouted Clawhauser.

"No we're not! Get ready to steer!" Judy hit the disconnect button and he and Ben separated. She drove the bike down the alley while Ben followed behind, driving the side car, dodging dumpsters along the way.

"Okay, NOW this is awesome!" Shouted the cheetah.

The lynx managed to leap over a back yard fence. "EEP! They're too close!"

"He's getting away!" Shouted Judy. They parked the side car and bike on the sidewalk. Ben ran to the fence and tried desperately to climb over, but he was too heavy. Judy managed to get underneath him and push him over. The act alone made Ben out of breath.

"You _GASP!_ get him!...I'll _WHEEZE!_ wait here!"

The lynx leaped over another fence. "Ha-Ha! I'm free!" He turned around, only to see Judy in front of him.

"Hello there!"

"EEP AGAIN! H-How did you get ahead of me?!"

"I'm super fast with a great leaping ability. Now, are you gonna come quietly or.."

"I give up!" The lynx shouted. "I've heard all about you officer Hopps! I know better than to mess with you!"

"Well that's the smartest thing you've done all day." She looked through the purse. "HEY! Where's the victim's money?! Her belongings?"

"Oh, I dumped them out in front of her before taking the purse."

"...What?!"

"I can't help it! I'm a guy who just loves purses! I got a huge collection at home and this one is just beautiful! It's sad, but no one shares my appreciation of a quality purse!"

Judy put the cuffs on him."Well next time just ask her where she bought it!"

"Why didn't I think of that?" the Lynx puzzled as Judy put him in Ben's side car. The side car had seat belts that automatically strapped him detained criminal down. She connected the car back to the bike and went to check on Ben.

"Clawhauser! Ben, are you okay?"

Ben just sat on the grass, sobbing. "What kind of cop am I Judy? I _SNIFF!_ I can't even get over a simple fence! I ran out of breath just running across the street! I was better off on dispatch. I...I'm a loser!" He started to sob.

Judy gave him a hug and petted his head. "Hey! Heeey! You're just getting the rust out! That's all! You'll be back to fighting shape in no time. You'll see."

She walked him around the house and back to the motorcycle. Ben sat behind her and they took off to deliver the purse back.

Moments later, Judy handed the lady leopard her purse. "Here you are ma'am!"

"Thank you, but why did he steal the purse with nothing inside?"

"I have a love of fine purses!" said the lynx. "Can you tell me where you got yours?"

"Oh! Ummm..J.C. Piggy! I love purses too! I have a huge collection at home."

The lynx ears perked up. "So do I!"

"Really?" Said the leopard. Her ears started to blush. "Ummm are you single?"

The lynx looked real happy. "Yeah! Let me give you my number and you can call me after I make bail!"

Ben loved it. "Awww! We made a love connection!"

Judy shrugged her shoulders. "Everyone has their thing I guess. I'm just happy it ended well. C'mon! Let's get you to the station!"

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick and Spots were waiting in line at the bank.

"You don't know dad, if you've been saving this long, it's probably in the hundreds of thousands!"

"I doubt that freckles. I mean, my mother started it with me ages ago, but I have overdraft coverage and there was quite a few incidences where I went over for a bit. I'll be happy if I have enough to cover the deposit and a used minivan."

They got up to the counter.

"Hello, I'm Nick Wilde. Here's my I.D. and debit card. I'd like to transfer some of my savings into my checking account, but I need to see my current balance."

"Okay, Mr. Wilde." The checker went over and printed up a slip. She handed it over to Nick. "Here you are."

Nick looked at the slip. His eyes bulged out of his skull and he immediately passed out. Spots was in shock.

"Dad! Are you okay?! Dad!"


	2. Chapter 2: Million Dollar Foxy

Chapter 2: Million Dollar Foxy

 **A/N Song is "Forever in my Life" By Prince**

 **Tuesday, October 27th 1:45pm**

Nick's mother, Vivian Wilde (who shares the same name as Nick's Hyena daughter 'Spots') was eating lunch at a table in a food court with her current boyfriend Robert Catmull, AKA "Bobby Cat" along with her two grandchildren, Cotton and Petey and Judy's blind son/baby brother Michael who was still in a bit of a bad mood. Nick and Judy had left their kids a few miles away from the city with Vivian so they could help get ready for them to live in Zootopia. Plus, "the purge" is coming and the city isn't too safe for prey.

A childhood friend of Judy Hopps, Bobby got in a bit of trouble with Vivian. He lied about his age. Despite being being half of Vivian's age, (he's 26 she's 52) she still loves him, but is not sure what her future holds with a much younger man.

Bobby's about to spring two pieces of big news that he hopes will turn Vivian to his favor.

"Thank you for the toys, Bobby!" Cotton said, hugging her plush Smellza doll from 'Floatzen'.

Peter didn't take his eyes off his screen when he thanked Bobby as well. "Yeah! Thith _BLURK!_ Nintendoe is awethome!"

"That's a rather expensive gift Bobby!" Vivian said. She wasn't too happy with him spending so much on the grandkids.

"It's fine! Trust me, I can afford it." Bobby said.

Vivian looked over at Michael. "Do you like your bunny cop plush?"

Michael was a little embarrassed at this choice. "A boy can like a plush doll!" He said defensively,

"Nobody said anything dear." Vivian argued.

"It lookth like your _GLICK!_ Mom!" Petey responded. "She's cool!"

"Shut up, doo-doo face!" Mike shouted.

"MICHAEL!" Vivian shouted. "Petey has been trying very hard to be your friend and you keep being mean to him! Knock it off!" Michael just grumbled and looked away.

Bobby stood up and had an announcement. "Well! We might be going back to the toy store for more. I got a big announcement to make!"

Vivian and the children looked over at the cougar. Bobby continued.

"As you know, I'm a musician and songwriter. I don't actually perform much because I prefer to create music more than just play it. It also allows me to sell my tunes for a pretty penny and...I've been making a pretty good living so far. Nothing phenomenal, but good. That said, I just sold one of my latest songs, 'Love Everyone' to Gazelle's record label for...six point two MILLION dollars!"

Vivian was floored. She got up and hugged Bobby tight. "Oh my Gosh! Honey, that's wonderful!"

"I wanna hear it!" Cotton exclaimed.

Bobby looked down at Cotton. "You'll hear it soon enough little lamb. Gazelle herself told me she'll be performing it at her next concert!"

Vivian gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "I guess this gets me off the couch?" Bobby asked.

"Yes, but are you sure you are going to want to be with an old maid like me when you can have any young starlet you want now?"

"I _think_ I may have the answer to that."

A group of people stood up and the food court and started singing.

 _La Da-Da Dat-Da Dotta-Da!_

Vivian saw what was going on. "What is this? A flash mob?"

 _La Da-Da Dat-Da Dotta-Da!_

They handed Bobby a microphone as they made their way to the center. Vivian looked concerned as Bobby held her hand. "Robert Wagtail Catmull, what are you up to?!"

Bobby started singing.

 _There comes a time, in every man's life..._

 _He gets tired of fooling arooound..._

 _Juggling hearts, in a three ring circus...some day drive a body down to the grooound!_

"Bobby! You're not doing what I THINK you're doing are you?!"

 _I never imagined that love would rain on me..._

 _..and make me wanna settle dooown.._

 _But baby it's true. I think I do!_

 _I just wanna tell you that I wanna with you!_

He got on his knees and bought out an engagement ring from his back pocket. Vivian was in shock her paw covered her muzzle. "Oh my God! Bobby!"

 _I want you baby! Forreever!_

 _I wanna keep you, for the rest of my life!_

 _For all that's wrong in my world you can make right._

 _You are my savior. You are my life!_

 _Forever I want you...in my life!_

The children applauded and cheered. Vivian was speechless. Bobby stopped singing and looked Vivian directly in the eyes.

"Vivian darling, these last six months I've been with you have been the happiest of my life! I love waking up every morning and seeing your beautiful smile, smelling your scent, the way you walk into the room with your hips striding from side to side. All of it! I never needed to go into that store you worked in. There wasn't anything there I couldn't have bought anywhere else, but I wanted to see you. I wanted to see that beautiful face grace me every morning and now...living with you and seeing you every day? It's STILL not enough for me! I wanna be with you every day for the rest of my life! You inspire me in ways you can't imagine! That 'Love Everyone' song? I wrote it in your living room while you were making me lunch! It's a song about loving everyone no matter what age or species or gender or what have you! Vivian, you are my muse. Will you marry me?"

"Bobby, I...I don't...I..."

"WAIT!" Bobby stopped her. The "don't" was worrying him. "I know what you're going to say. 'You're half my age!' I don't care. As I told your son, when you're 82 and I'm 56, I'll still love you the same way I do now! Nothing will change! Then, there's the other thing...the big one...'You can't replace John in my heart!' I know."

Vivian was shocked that Bobby brought her departed ex-husband up. He was right. She was going to argue that.

"I'm not trying to replace John. There's no way I can, but...I just want a little place there. I want to make you happy and give you just as fulfilling a life as you've given me! I know it was kind of a jerk move to bring up the 'I'm rich!' subject first, but I wanted to make sure you knew that you'd have a financially secure future with me no matter what happens. So what do you say Vivian? Can you find me a little space in your heart for this cougar? Will you marry me?"

Cotton stood up as best she could and shouted. "Say 'yes' Grandma! Say 'Yes'!"

Bobby looked sternly at Cotton. "Thank you Cotton, but this is her decision to make! I don't wanna pressure her."

Vivian picked up the ring and examined it. "It has a cleft and music notes engraved on it!"

"That's because we make beautiful music together." Bobby replied.

Vivian smiled and started to tear up. "This is crazy!...YES! Yes! I'll marry you!"

They embraced and kissed for about a full minute. Everyone in the food court cheered including the grandchildren. Michael just sat there.

As they stopped kissing, Vivian stared into her fiance's eyes.

"You Do realize that once we're married, you'll be a 26 year-old grandpa?"

"HA! You forget I lived in Bunnyburrow most of my life. I have old schoolmates that were grandfathers by the age of 24!"

 **Meanwhile...**

" _I've been making 200 bucks a day fluff, tax free since I was 12!"_

This wasn't exactly true, but Nick did make a decent living. He just chose not to live decently. He also put a fair amount into savings. His mother had gotten him his first joint savings account with her at the age of ten. He had been putting almost $500 a week aside for over twenty years, but still, even with interest, it should not be where it's currently at.

Nick had finally come to. "T-Tell me that number again?"

"Three million and seventeen thousand dollars!" Spots shouted excitedly "We're stinking rich!"

"Okay, two things. One, I'M stinking rich. You have nothing but my love and a roof over your head. Two...HOW?!"

"Maybe it's the interest?"

"I'd be NEAR a million at best. There's obviously some mistake." Nick looked at the teller. "I need a print out of activities on my account for the past oh...ten years?"

"That's too large a list to print up sir."

"Okay, please look for any odd activities."

After ten minutes, the teller came back. "There was a two point six million dollar deposit put in on April tenth of last year by the co-owner of the account, Vivian Wilde."

"My mom?!" Nick pondered. "April tenth...That was the day I graduated from the academy! Where the hell did she get that kind of money? And why give it to me instead of supporting herself?!"

He looked at the teller and apologized. "I-I'm sorry. I'll be right back!"

Nick took out his smart phone and chatted with his mother on Yipe. "Hey mom?!"

" _Nick! Oh honey! Great timing! I've got great news!"_

"Well, hold off on that for a second. I went to the bank to get out money for a deposit on my new apartment. What's this two and a half million dollar deposit?"

" _You finally saw that hunh? It was your secret graduation present. It's from your father's life insurance. Eighteen years ago it was less than a hundred grand. I took the insurance money and put some of it in a 401K and invested the rest. The money blossomed quite nicely! I waited until I knew you could be a responsible enough man and deposited the whole thing in your account!"_

"But what about you?! You need this money! You've been working at a damn retail store when you could have been much better off! I can't take all this!"

" _Yes you can Nicholas! Don't worry about me anymore Bobby is proving to be a great provider!"_

Nick joked. "Him hunh? So how is the reverse pedophile?"

" _SPOT THAT! Bobby's a wonderful man! He just sold one of his songs to Gazelle for over six million dollars! Not only that..."_

Bobby entered the frame of the yips chat and they showed off their wedding rings. _"We're engaged!"_

"What?...WHAT?!"

" _He proposed to me about ten minutes ago with a choir and everything! It was beautiful! The kids saw it too!""_

"Mom! You can't marry this guy! He has a granny fetish! He just wants you because your old!"

" _So he loves me for my age? So what?! He takes great care of me and your children I might add! He's been there for me when you kept yourself away!"_

Nick was getting upset. "I forbid it! He's too young for you a-a-and...he's got a granny fetish and...and...he's so young!"

" _You can't forbid squat! I'm your mother! This is MY life! If you still want to be a part of it, you better change your tune you ungrateful son! I give you two million dollars and this is how you treat me?!"_

"Mom! Don't you see wh-"

Spots grabbed the phone from Nick. He kept him at bay with one of her long arms. "Hi grandma! Congratulations! Bobby's a good guy despite what SOME people think!" Spots gave Nick a dirty look.

Nick was struggling to grab the phone. "Gimmie that!"

Spots decided to change the subject. "Can I see my siblings? I miss them."

" _Sure honey!"_ She turned the phone over to Cotton. Nick calmed down and looked over Spots shoulder.

" _Hi Spots! Hi daddy!"_

"Hi Cotton!" They both said together. The sight of her melted all of Nick's stress away. He loved her deeply.

"Have you been a good girl?" Spots asked.

" _Oh yes! Grandpa Bobby's been very good to us! I got a Smellza doll!"_ She held it up to the camera. " _Petey wants to say hi!"_ She gave the camera over to Petey.

He stuck his game system in front of the camera. _"I got a Nintendoooe! Isn't it_ GLURK! _Cool?"_

"Great!" Nick said. "Nice to see Bobby's bribing my children's love."

" _Daddy! Are you coming by thoon? I mith_ BING! _you and spoth a lot!"_

"We miss you too, son. We'll be by tomorrow with a new mini-van!" Nick replied. "And I'll take you guys around Zootopia. Sound good?!"

" _AWETHOME!"_ Petey said. He turned the camera on Michael. _"Here's Mike! He got a police bunny doll!"_

" _It's a plush!"_ Michael argued. _"Get me off the camera!"_

Nick chuckled. "Gee! I wonder who that's supposed to be?"

" _Mike's my new best fwiend!"_ Petey added.

" _No I'm not!"_ Michael argued.

" _We_ CRIG! _hold handth when we're walking!"_

" _ONLY BECAUSE I'M BLIND!"_ Michael yelled.

Nick started to laugh. "I'll let you two best buds be! Petey son, can you put Cotton back on?"

" _Thure!"_ Petey gave the phone back to Cotton.

" _Did you want to talk to me daddy?"_

"Yes. I wanted to tell you something. When I was laid up at the hospital the other night, I talked to the doctor about you. Your condition is reversible by surgery. It's very, VERY expensive, but I can afford it now. Cotton honey, you're gonna have normal legs! You'll be able to run and walk like any other child!"

Tears swelled in Cotton's eyes. _"Really! I -I can go without crutches?!"_

"Yes. It might take a long while to walk straight, but a year from now, you'll be fully healed and can run and jump like any other kid! Sound good?"

" _Yes daddy! Yes! I love you!"_

"I love you too sweetheart." Nick said. He thought to himself. _"Let's see grandpa Bobby top that!"_

Spots started nudging Nick. "Oh! Spots wants to say something."

Spots looked at her siblings. "We gotta get going. I love you guys very, VERY much and really miss you! Even you Mike! Ya jerk!"

" _...Thank you."_ Michael said. His ears were blushing.

Nick took over the camera again. "We're coming by tomorrow morning. Is there anything I can get for you mom? Some groceries? A cradle to rob?"

" _We're fine. The only thing I need from you is to come visit more often and it took you over twenty years to provide that! Just...come by tomorrow so we can talk. Okay?"_

"Okay mom. I'll see you tomorrow. I love you and the kids. Goodbye." Nick hung up the phone. Spots immediately punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow! What's wrong with you?!"

"What's wrong with you?!" She shouted back. "Bobby's a good guy! He loves your mom very much and she finally has someone in her life!"

"He's way too young for her! Besides, you know how musicians are! He'll find some groupie and dump my poor mother in a heartbeat!"

"You know nothing about him. Besides, if that's the worst case scenario, she still ends up with half his money! Over 3 million dollars! Look Dad, she loves you. She added all that money to your account and left herself with barely anything. The least you could do is respect her wishes and let her marry who she wants."

Nick sighed. "Yeah, well...let's just change the subject for now. Let's put a million in my checking account, go to the mall and get us some stylin' clothes and go get us that mini-van!"

"Cool!" Spots replied.

 **Meanwhile...**

"Hold on tight Ben! It's not much farther to the station!" Judy shouted. Ben had his paws on her waist while riding in back of her motorcycle, the "Bad Buster". A lynx they just caught for purse snatching was sitting in the side car section with seat belts and restraints trapping him in place.

As they were driving, they passed by officers Tim Wolford and Terry Fangmeyer in their squad car. Fangmeyer had seen her boyfriend, Clawhauser (read "Pin Partners" for more info) with his paws around Judy's waist. She was sipping on some coffee at the time and started crushing the cup in her hand. Wolford was behind the wheel.

"What the hell?!" She yelled, fangs bared.

"Relax Fangs!" Wolford replied. "Judy has Clawhauser as her new partner and she's helpin' ta get him back inta shape and back on 'da streets."

"Why does he have his paws around her waist?!" She growled. She gripped the coffee mug so tight the hot liquid spilled all over her hands.

"So he doesn't fall off!" Wolford was scared at how mad she was getting. "Whoa Fangs! Watch it! 'Dat coffee's boilin' hot!"

"Well I'm boiling mad!" She replied. "Why wasn't my precious fuzzball partnered with me?! She's trying to woo him! I just know it! Pull up beside them!"

Wolford shrugged his shoulders. "Okay Fangs, but yer actin' crazy! Calm down!"

They pulled up to them on the streets when there was a red light. The squad car was to the left of Judy. Judy noticed them first. "Hey Ben! Look! It's Tim and your girlfriend, Terry!"

Clawhuaser waved at his Tiger girlfriend. "Hey, Terry sweetie!"

Fangmeyer just gave Judy a dirty look and used her fingers to do the "I'm watching you!" gesture.

Judy didn't catch on. "Aww! She's doing some kind of salute to me! I'll salute her back!" The light turned green and both vehicles moved forward.

They were stopped again at another red light. Judy looked back at Fangmeyer and gave her the same "I'm watching you!" hand gesture in return, not knowing what it meant.

This infuriated Fangmeyer. "Oh, so you're watching me too hunh?! You...you...hussy!"

Wolford was getting worried. "Fangs! PLEASE calm down! I don't think she knew what ya meant!"

Fangmeyer was livid. She started to unbutton her pants."She wants to give me a gesture?! I'll give HER a gesture!"

"Woah Fangs! Keep yer pants on!"

"WOWZERS!" Judy looked over and saw Fangmeyer's giant, naked rear pressed flat against the squad car window. She was showing a little too much. People could see the after results of her sex change operation in full.

"How's that for a gesture?! You roach!" Fangmeyer shouted.

Clawhauser covered his eyes. "Oh dear! I've seen my girlfriends naked bottom! I'll have to confess to my pastor now!"

"You can see a little more than her bottom!" Judy replied. They drove forward, but they were so distracted they missed the next red light. "Look out!" Judy shouted. They almost ran into oncoming traffic, but Judy was quick to think of a way out. She disconnected the side car and it split around the vehicles.

Only one problem. The lynx was strapped in and couldn't steer the side car! It was careening out of control and the poor prisoner was in a panic. "Somebody help meee!"

Fangmeyer was horrified. Her actions might soon cause a traffic accident or worse. "Oh no! What have I done!"

Wolford howled. "AWWRROOOOO!"

Fangmeyer was confused. "What was that all about?!"

"Sorry Fangs, but I'm a wolf! I always howl at the sight of a full moon!"


	3. Chapter 3: A Tiger By The Fail

Chapter 3: A Tiger By The Fail

 **A/N I put the "meanwhile..." in the middle now to help break up the story scenes better.**

 **Last chapter was mostly Nick and Spots. This chapter is mostly Judy and Clawhauser**

 **Tuesday, 2:30pm**

"SOMEBODY HELP ME!" The side car Larry the lynx was strapped in was out of control. Judy had to disconnect the side car to stop it from crashing into oncoming traffic. However, this meant that the side car was now going at full speed with no driver. Larry was cuffed and strapped in tight so he couldn't steer or even hit the brakes.

Judy and Clawhauser were in hot pursuit. "This is your girlfriends fault Ben! Why did Terry moon me?!"

"I don't know!" Clawhuaser shouted. "I saw her hoo-hoo! Now I'm gonna have to go to confessional!"

"You sure are a devout CAT-tholic!" Judy noted. She was driving the motorcycle in between cars and taking short cuts as best she could to catch up to the side car.

"If that car causes an accident, I'm out of a job!" Judy noted. "And someone could get hurt!"

She was weaving in and out of traffic like crazy. They were about to pass a double-decker tour bus where several tourists were sitting on the top. A tour guide was speaking.

"And here we have the beautiful Sahara Square! To your right, you see the luxurious Palm Hotel and Casino! Pop singer Gazelle is often known to perform there. To your left is a lovely side car veering out of control into oncoming traffic! Followed behind by a bunny on a motorcycle driving like a crazy person with an obese cheetah on the back seat!"

The tourists all took pictures as Judy drove past. The flashes blinded Judy momentarily.

"Look out Judy!" Clawhauser leaned over and grabbed the handlebars Judy was steering with. He managed to steer around several cars.

"Thanks Ben!" Judy shouted.

Wolford and Fangmeyer were following behind with their sirens blaring. It helped make people pull to the side so the runaway sidecar had more room.

Fangmeyer was in a panic. "This is all my fault! Tim...do you think I overreacted?!"

"Nooooooo!" Wolford said in the most sarcastic tone possible. "I can still see where yer ass cheeks fogged up the window! What were you thinkin'?!"

Fangmeyer pulled on her own ears. "I don't know! I love Benny so much that I just went crazy! I hope Judy catches up in time!"

The runaway side car was heading towards the Tundratown bridge that connects the two districts. The same bridge that Nick Wilde almost died jumping over. Judy had to act fast.

The lynx saw that the bridge he was heading towards was closed and was slowly starting to rise to allow boats into downtown and the rainforest district.

"Help me, you lousy cops! I want your badges! I want a lawyer! I WANT MY MOMMEEE!"

Judy managed to catch up with the side car. "Clawhauser! Pull it in!"

Clawhauser leaned over and grabbed the car. However, it started to pull apart again. Ben was now dangling between both vehicles. His stomach was starting to hit asphalt.

"Belly burn! Belly burn!"

"Oh no!" Judy saw it. They were almost at the foot of the bridge that was starting to rise. They were about to hit the arm that blocked traffic from entering the bridge area. Judy had no choice but to slide

the motorcycle under. This caused Clawhauser to fall from the bike and onto the back of the side car.

"I got this!" Clawhauser shouted. He dug his feet into the pavement while grabbing the back of the side car. It started to slow down and Ben managed to get it to stop just before the top of the ramp of the split bridge.

Judy drove up. "Great work Ben! Let's lock it back into place!"

Just as Judy locked it back in, she saw that the vehicles were starting to slide back down. Brakes or no, the gravity of their situation was dire.

Judy tried to keep them from sliding too much, but the angle they were at was too high for the brakes to do any good. "Ben! Help me!"

Ben tried to grab the bike from behind, but it was quickly going backwards. They spun around as they slid down the side of the bridge just as a porcupine was crossing the street. The porcupine panicked and ducked down. Clawhauser go the bike to stop at the foot of the bridge, but not before his butt managed to hit the quills of the porcupine.

"YEEOUCH!" The cheetah screamed as he jumped into the air.

The pudgy porcupine protested. "Watch it! I just had those quills dyed!"

Wolford and Fangmeyer managed to catch up in the squad car. Fangmeyer ran out and helped pull quills out of Clawhauser's bottom. "Ben! Judy! I'm so sorry! Are you okay!"

Ben gave her a quick kiss as she kept pulling quills. "Fangs, I love you, but sometimes, you're a pain in the butt!"

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick and Spots were sitting on a subway train heading to the Mosstown mall. They were gonna have some fun and splurge a bit before heading to the car dealership.

"So the other day when I was in a bit of shock from something Tom said, I remember a certain young girl trying to manipulate my jaw to get her way and trying to get a nose ring."

Spots shrugged her shoulders and laughed with a tinge of guilt. "Heh-heh! Yeah. I was just kidding of course!"

"Well I'm not." Nick replied. "If my little girl wants a nose ring, she can have one."

Spots was surprised. "Really?! I can get my nose pierced?!"

"Yeah freckles. I didn't like the choke collar you wanted because it's telling people you're submissive and that's not you! But a nose ring? Totally you. I want you to be able to express yourself."

"Thank you so much!" She gave her father a big hug. "Dad? I...have an odd request."

"Was is it freckles?"

"Well...it's the whole nickname thing." Her ears blushed. "You calling me Spots and Freckles...reminds me of my dad a bit. He'd give me nicknames sometimes too. There was one he'd do that I told him couldn't stand, but,...at the same time, I loved it. He only said it to me when I was real scared or upset."

"And what's that?" Nick asked.

Her ears went beet red. "...Princess."

Nick laughed. " 'Princess?!' Honey, you are many things, but a princess isn't one of them!"

She laughed "I know, but..I like to think deep, deep down under all this tough exterior, there's a tiny princess somewhere. Every time he did it, I told him I hated it, but he'd just laugh."

She looked down in mourning and started to sniffle. "He... _SNIFF!_...He knew I'd always be his princess."

"That's real sweet." Nick replied. "Well, if that's what you want prin-"

"Not now!" Spots replied. "It's the worst name out of context. I hate it!"

"Okay, so when will I know to call you...that name?"

"You'll know." She replied. "Trust me. When I'm at my worst, that's when I need to hear it."

Nick smiled. "If you say so, freckles."

"Soo...we're..,,I'm mean, _you're_ rich now...You gonna quit bein' a cop?"

"I thought about it, but...no."

"Why not, dad?! You have a family to think about now!"

Nick rubbed head head for a moment. "It's just... _SIGH!._..Judy was right about me. I'm not good enough. Not yet."

Spots was taken back. "What?! What the hell are you talking about?!"

"I don't want to be just a fox cop. When Little Rodentia threw that parade for me last Friday, I thought nothing could top it. That it's the best I could be, but that's the wrong way to think. When I asked Judy to marry me and live in Bunnyburrow, I was trying to take the easy road and I can't do that! I can't! I want...I _need_ people to see that foxes...that predators can be great people. I don't just want people to accept me...I want them to look up to me as a shining example. I want to be the Martin Lion King of foxes! I wanna be chief! I wanna be the mayor! Maybe even the president!...I wanna make the world a better place!"

"I think I heard somebody else say that." Spots puzzled.

"Judy." Nick said. He looked away as if he was pining for something. A look of regret.

Spots saw the look on his face. "...You still love her, don't you?"

"No...I don't know. GOD!...It's...it's complicated...If she hadn't shot that hawk!"

Spots smiled. "Well, it's a good thing you have me along. I have a magical gift of always getting what I want. I wanted to live, I wanted you as my dad, I wanted Petey..."

"You wanted a choke collar and you didn't get that." Nick smirked.

"Well...about 90% then...I want Judy to be my mom. She's cool!"

"She's only eleven years older than you!"

"Bobby's 26 years younger than your mom."

"I know that and I hate it! Besides..me and Judy are barely speaking to each other. There's too much bad blood between us right now."

"I wonder what she's doing right now?" Spots pondered. "I bet her and that cheetah guy are taking down criminals and she's getting some big accommodation."

 **Meanwhile...**

"RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT! INDECENT EXPOSURE BY AN OFFICER! ACCIDENTAL DE-QUILLING!...I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT LAST ONE MEANS!" Bogo was fuming.

Judy was squirming in her chair. Officers Clawhauser, Fangmeyer and Wolford were all present.

Judy raised her hand. "I-If it's any consolation sir, the Bad Buster didn't get a scratch on it!"

Clawhauser chimed in. "Well, that's not entirely true. I scratched it a few times with my claws to stop it."

"Shut up Ben!" Judy whispered under clenched teeth.

Fangmeyer stepped forward. "This is all my fault sir! I saw Ben behind Judy with his paws on her waist and I got jealous! I...kinda went crazy."

"Kinda?!" Judy said. "I'm no astronomer, but I saw Uranus!"

Clawhauser chimed in. "Also, you should really have that hemorrhoid checked, sweetie."

"ENOUGH!" Bogo bellowed. "Everyone saw her fanny! People were out with their smartphones and took pictures! It's all over social media! You've made a laughing stock of this precinct!"

Bogo got into Terry's face. "Officer Fangmeyer, I would fire you right on the spot if I wasn't so desperate for policemen right now! You make one, just ONE more mistake and I'll have your badge! Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-Yes sir!" Fangmeyer slowly dropped back down in her seat. Bogo turned his attention to Hopps and Clawhauser.

"Now as far as you two go...I had to let your purse snatcher go and gave him a fancy purse from Yaks Fifth avenue just so he wouldn't press charges! That purse was going to be a birthday present for my wife!""

Judy chimed in. "That's not too bad sir! The lynx was very cooperative with us and he only stole the purse itself. Not any money."

"In fact he and the victim might be going on a date!" Clawhauser added.

"I DON'T CARE!" Bogo yelled. "You cannot let anything distract you from your driving Hopps! Even if there's a giant tiger rump in your face, you keep your eyes on the road and your paws on the handlebars! This is your first day with a brand new vehicle and you almost wrecked it!...AGAIN! That Lynx almost dropped into the river while completely trapped!"

Judy stopped him for a moment. "Which is where I'd like to add a commendation for officer Clawhauser."

"Me?" Ben asked.

"Yes. Officer Clawhauser risked life and limb and well...his belly, his butt and the paw pads of his feet to stop the side car from going over. His actions saved the life of the lynx and the porcupine crossing the street."

"Good. Very good!" Bogo replied. "It's the first time in years that Clawhauser has been on the beat and NOT been a massive disappointment.

Fangmeyer got mad and grabbed Bogo's collar. "HEY! You cannot talk to my fluffball like..umm.."

Bogo gave her a total death stare. She realized her mistake and starting flattening his collar back. "Heh-heh...just straightening out your collar for you sir...See? Nice and..."

Bogo spoke softly. "You're fired. Empty your locker."

"BUT SIR!" Clawhauser shouted.

"BUT NOTHING! If she can't get a hold of her emotions, then she doesn't have what it takes to be a police officer! I cannot have someone on my force who overreacts to every little thing!"

Woldford grabbed his badge and pulled it off. "Fangs is my best friend! If she goes, I go!"

Bogo gave him a stern look. "Do you really want to do that? As I recall, your wife has a child on the way."

Fangmeyer put her paw on Wolford's shoulder. "Tim, don't do this for me. I'll be okay."

Wolford had tears in his eyes. He fastened his badge back on. "I...I don't want any other partner but you, Fangs."

Clawhauser looked depressed. "Despite what Judy said, I still have a long way to go. I couldn't jump over a fence to chase the purse snatcher and I ran out of breath fast."

Bogo turned his back. "At least you know your limits. You and Judy hit the gym for the remainder of the day. Let this be a reminder to the rest of you. Don't let your emotions get the best of you and always...ALWAYS keep focused! Dismissed!"

The officers started to leave. Bogo stopped Terry.

"Fangmeyer. Are you forgetting something?" He held out his hoof.

He ears pulled back. She realized what was going on. "Oh..." With Clawhauser and Wolford's paws on her shoulders, Terry handed her badge to Chief Bogo. She was "officer" Fangmeyer no more.

Bogo closed the door behind him. He didn't want to fire Fangmeyer, but he felt he had no choice. He wiped a few tears from his eyes and sniffled. Despite his cold exterior, Bogo cared for his officers like they were his own children. Letting Fangmeyer go was painful.

"You buffaloes. So emotional."

Bogo then realized that Judy was still in the room. He jumped back. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

"I'm not saying what you did was wrong sir. She did overreact big time, but...how do you think this is going to play up in the press?"

"First off, when I say 'dismissed', it means you leave the f #$ing room. I have a right to my damn privacy! Second, you did NOT just see me sniffle and third...what are you talking about?!"

"Tonight is the gay pride parade in Sahara Square. We were supposed to have a ZPD representative at that parade to show our diversity and acceptance. The only LGBT officer we have that we know of is Terry who's transsexual. How's it going to look in the press when they hear that you fired our only LGBT officer during the day of the gay pride parade? The press will say you're trying to save face for her embarrassing moment while the LGBT community are going to call you homophobic. Just food for thought."

Judy hopped off the chair and left the room. Bogo just fumed and rubbed his chin.

Outside, Fangmeyer was sitting on the stairs, sobbing her eyes out. Wolford was hugging her.

"Where's Clawhauser?" Judy asked. "He should be comforting you too!"

Fangmeyer looked at Judy with tears in her eyes. "H-He said he had to call his m-m-mother and that he had an imp-portant decision to make!"

"You don't think he's gonna ask ta marry you, do ya?" Wolford asked.

"I seriously doubt that." Judy said. "Clawhauser is VERY traditional in his ways. He's not gonna marry someone he's only been with for five days."

"I'd say 'yes' if he did!" Fangmeyer chuckled.

Down in the locker room, Clawhauser was changing into his exercise clothes while talking to his mom on the phone.

"I'm sorry ma. I accidentally saw my girlfriend's naked fanny today...What do you mean 'Thank God'?!... What?...Like the top of a sundae?...No...No I didn't pop anything! Why are you acting disappointed?! Mom...I need your permission for something. Terry's been fired. I'm not sure if you'd approve, but..."

Moments later, Clawhauser came over to where Fangmeyer and Wolford were sitting.

Fangmeyer still wept. "What am I gonna do?! I don't wanna go back to my father. He's horrible!"

Wolford didn't know what to do. "I'm sorry Fangs, the extra room we did have is now a nursery for the baby."

"I have an extra room!" Clawhauser stated. In fact he stated it so loud he kinda squeaked. He was excited at the thought of Fangmeyer living with him. "I had an old roommate who left last year. I never bothered to get a cheaper place."

"Benny! You'd let me live with you?!" Fangmeyer asked.

"I had a talk with my mother and she approved. In fact, she approved a LOT of things to my surprise. I know it's a big step, but..."

"I'LL DO IT!" She squeezed Clawhauser so hard he thought his head would pop off. She then gave him a few quick pecks on the lips.

He held her paws. "I have to warn you Terry, the reason my old roommate left is because I get chronic farts at night."

"That's okay!"

"Like...massive!"

"I don't care!"

"...You know those giant flowers that stink of death when they bloom?"

"Fluffball! I don't care! Really!"

Clawhauser had a smile on his face. "Then it's settled! And don't worry about rent, I'll have that covered until you get back on your feet!"

She hugged him again. "This is wonderful! I can cook real well too! You'll have the best meals!"

Her ears blushed as she asked him another question. "By chance, did your mother approve of anything else?" Ben whispered into her ear. "Oh?...Oh!...Ohohohohohoo! When should I pack my bags?!"

Just then,. They heard Bogo yell. "Fangmeyer! My office, please!"

"I wonder what that's all about?" Fangmeyer pondered.

Judy looked proud. "I think I talked him into getting your job back!"

Fangmeyer wasn't sure if she was happy or not. This could change things for her moving in with Clawhauser. "Oh...ummm...thanks."

Judy was confused. "You're...welcome?"

Fangmeyer entered Bogo's office. "You wanted to see me sir?"

Bogo leaned against the desk. "In showing you guys a lesson in overreacting, I..may have overreacted myself. You can have your job back."

"That's gr-..." She realized what this meant. Having her job back meant she wouldn't have an excuse to live with Clawhauser and do all those...things his mother approved of.

"Well...actually sir, you were right. I mean, what kind of cop goes nuts like that?! I let my emotions get to me in a very petty way."

"You and Wolford have been great team over the pass few years. I'd hate to break that up."

"I understand that sir, but I should be made an example of."

"..."

"..."

"...Okay, just what the hell is going on?! You were crying just moments ago!"

"To be honest sir, Clawhauser offered to let me live at his place until I get back on my feet. If I stay here, I have no excuse to move in with him! That, and his mother actually approved everything!"

"Everything meaning?" Bogo asked.

Her brows moved up and down. "Every...thing."

"Ooooh. I see. You do realize that's an incredibly shallow reason to not keep your job."

"I know sir." she sighed. "I'm awful."

"Well, I'm just as bad. The reason I called you back in and offered your job back is that you are the only LGBT officer we have. Firing you on gay pride night makes our precinct look bad."

"Thank you for being honest with me sir. It's just...now that I have the opportunity, I wanna be with him more often. He could come home from a hard day at work and I'd have a big meal all cooked and ready for him!"

Bogo got on his hands and knees and begged. "NOOO! DON'T FEED HIM!"

"Sir! Have you gone crazy?!"

"I desperately need to him to slim down! He might finally get back into shape! Do you remember how he used to look?"

"Skinny Ben? Yeah. Barely. I had just joined the force back then. I prefer chubby Ben myself. How'd he get that way?"

"Sit down and I'll tell you."

Outside, the trio of cops were sitting on the stairs. Clawhauser was sighing. Judy asked him a question.

"What did Bogo mean when he said this was your first time on the streets in years without being a disappointment?"

Clawhauser looked over at Judy. "I wasn't always this fat, donut-loving cop. There was a time I was the skinniest, fastest thing on the force."

Judy was shocked. "No way!"

"Oh yes! You know how you have the second fastest lap time?"

"Yeah. The only one to beat me was someone by the initials B.C... _GASP!_ Benjamin Clawhauser?!"

"Yup." Ben said proudly.

"How'd you go from that, to..." She gestured her arms at Clawhauser.

"Well, it's a long story..." He waved his hands and twirled his fingers.

 _Dittle-Litte-Loo! Dittle-Litte-Loo! Dittle-Litte-Loo!_

Wolford thought he was acting crazy. "What 'da hell are ya doin'?!"

"I always do this just before a flashback!"

Wolford facepawed himself. "Oh brudder!"

 _Dittle-Litte-Loo! Dittle-Litte-Loo! Dittle-Litte-Loo!_


	4. Chapter 4: Don't Cheetah On Your Diet

Chapter 4: Don't Cheetah On Your Diet

 **April 19th 12:15pm FOUR YEARS AGO**

Bogo stood proudly on the platform. The graduation ceremony for the latest recruits was going well. He put his hooves on the cheetah and presented him to the world.

"...and last, but certainly not least. A graduate with the highest honors and hold's the United Plains police record for the fastest lap time. I'm very proud to present...Benjamin Augustis Clawhauser!"

Everyone applauded. Ben's parents stood up to cheer him further. Bogo's chest stuck out. He knew he made a great choice in this officer. Ben had showed nothing but greatness. His slim body and fast feet had made him the top of his class and a hit with the ladies. However, due to his strict upbringing, he was very innocent, naive and never went too far with them. Both physically fit and morally sound, Clawhauser was the perfect police officer.

When Ben was done hugging his parents and talking to his friends and relatives, he went over to talk to chief Bogo.

"Gosh sir! I can't wait to hit the streets and do some good!"

"Well that's good to hear!" Bogo replied. "I'm matching you up with a slower, but powerful partner, officer Trumpet!"

"Bob the elephant?" Clawhauser asked. "Yeah, I know him! I talked with him yesterday. Seems like a good guy."

"I'm sure you'll make a fine team!"

Bogo would later go on to say it was the biggest mistake of his entire career.

As time moved on, Clawhauser and Trumpet did incredible work. A great combination of speed and strength. Often trumpet would intimidate the culprits to run while Clawhauser would catch and nab. If there was a bigger, badder criminal such as a rhino, Clawhauser would make them give chase while Trumpet would take them down.

There was just one problem. One _huge_ problem. The diet of an elephant is much, much different than the diet of a cheetah. An elephant can eat up to 200 pounds of food in a day where a cheetah eats out 8 pounds.

"Hey Ben!" Trumpet shouted. "We had a great day today! On our way back to the station, how about a few donuts?!"

"I dunno Bob..." Clawhauser replied. "I haven't had any since I was little. I've been mostly doing salads to keep my figure slim. Besides, you just had your fourth meal!"

"Aww c'mon!" Trumpet said. "One little doughnut ain't gonna hurt ya!"

Clawhauser just shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah. I guess so."

Officer Trumpet got a baker's dozen and gave Ben a chocolate glazed. He put it in his mouth and started to chew. Not unlike the donuts, Ben's eyes glazed over. His pupils dilated with the ecstasy that was on his taste buds.

"It's like the food of the gods!" Clawhauser exclaimed.

"Pretty good hunh?" Trumpet asked.

"...You think I could have one more?" Clawhauser asked.

"Sure!"

The donuts were too tempting for Clawhauser. Day after day, one doughnut turned into two. Two eventually turned into five, five turned into a dozen. Within months he was eating two boxes a day. Within a year, Clawhauser had gained over 150 pounds.

One day, Trumpet and Clawhauser were chasing a perp, but it was obvious Ben could no longer keep up.

"C'mon buddy! He's getting away!" Trumpet shouted.

" _GASP!_ I'll be..there...in a second!...Just _GASP!_ Hold on...Why does... _WHEEEZE!_ Why does my chest hurt?!"

Bob looked over to see that Ben had crumpled to the pavement. "Ben?!...BEN!" Trumpet immediately got onto dispatch. "This is officer Trumpet on West and Main! Officer down! Repeat, officer down!"

It was Benjamin Clawhauser's last day as a patrol officer. He had suffered a mild heart attack.

Two days later, they were in Bogo's office. They thought he was gonna chew them out, but he had something else to say.

Bogo pinched his brow. "First off, I'm sorry Clawhauser, but I'm afraid you're off the force."

"But sir!" Clawhauser pleaded. "This job is my life!"

"I'm not firing you, you just won't be on patrol anymore. There's a job that just opened up in dispatch and you'll be placed there. Trumpet? You'll be working solo for a little while, but we'll place someone with you that's more...your size."

Bogo sighed as he leaned on his desk. "This entire thing is my fault. I thought teaming up a cheetah with an elephant would match speed with brawn and it worked for awhile, but...I didn't think about the differences in diets. Now look at you!"

"What's wrong with me?!" Clawhauser asked.

"What's wr-...do I even need to say it?! When was the last time you could even see your...'little partner'?! You're obese Clawhauser! Morbidly so! You have an addiction to donuts."

"No I don't!" Ben protested. "I could quit at any time!"

"Oh really?" Bogo said. He put a doughnut down on his table.

Clawhauser was drooling. "Is that...a cruller with almond chips on top?"

"Yes. Now I going to turn my ba-" Before he could even start the temptation lesson, Clawhauser leaped from his chair and snatched the doughnut. Stuffing it in his mouth as quickly as possible.

He tried to talk with his mouth full. "M'okay! Muhbe uh got a pwobwem."

"I haven't seen you leap like that since last year! Now get down to dispatch. Dismissed!"

 **4pm Present Day**

Bogo was finishing his discussion with Fangmeyer. "And that's why he's in the shape he's in today. I ended up teaming Trumpet with Higgins since hippos are naturally fat to begin with. I'm still worried about Clawhauser's health though. Putting him back on the streets is a risk."

Fangmeyer pondered the situation for a moment. "I think I have an idea! I need to talk to Ben and Judy after. Can you bring them in?"

Meanwhile, Clawhauser was wrapping up about his past with Wolford and Hopps.

"...and that's how I wound up on dispatch. OOPS! I almost forgot!"

 _Dittle-Little-Loo! Dittle-Little-Loo! Dittle-Little-Loo!_

Wolford slapped his paw. "Will you cut that out?! We aint' time travellin' ya know?!"

They then heard chief Bogo yell. "Clawhauser! Hopps! My office! Now!"

They entered the room. Bogo and Fangmeyer were standing in front of them. "OFFICER Fangmeyer has come up with a solution for helping get officer Clawhauser back into shape."

Clawhauser had a huge grin on his face. "You got your job back?! That's wonderful!"

"Yes darling." Fangmeyer held Ben's paw in hers. "But...I still want to live with you...please?"

"Sure! All you had to do was ask!"

Fangmeyer squealed. "EEEEE! That's wonderful! I need to sle-live with you as part of the plan to help get you back into shape."

Bogo interrupted. "Clawhauser, Hopps, for the next two weeks, you will end your work day an hour early each day and hit the gym."

Fangmeyer continued. "And when you come home at night, me and you can do some...cardiovascular exercises before going to bed!"

" 'Cardiovascular'?" Ben asked.

"Those...things your mother approved of?"

Ben's eyes went wide. "Oh! Ummm...no honey. I'm sorry."

Her ears pulled back and had a look of disappointment. "But...why?"

"Just because my mother approved doesn't mean I do! I have values and traditions I uphold no matter what! I'm sorry, but we can't do those things before we're married."

She started to get upset. "Then marry me!"

Ben was startled. "Wha?! Wuh...You can't just say it like that! There's like, ceremony involved!"

She started to grit her teeth. "Clawhauser, so help me..."

Judy decided to take a calm approach to the matter. "Hold on everyone! Fangs, can I see you outside for a moment?"

"Well...okay." She was still fuming.

They walked out of the office and shut the door behind him. "What is his deal?! He wants me to stay with him, but only as a roommate?! I'm his girlfriend! We should be sharing the same room!"

"Calm down Terry." Judy said. "Clawhauser is more traditional and conservative in his thinking while still being progressive. You have to work _around_ his way of thinking."

"How?" She asked.

"You already got around one of his beliefs. Living with your lover before marriage is considered a sin. Now...you're SURE you wanna marry him and it's not just because you wanna mate him?"

"Yes!" Fangmeyer said with confidence.

"Well, listen to what he said. 'You can't just say it like that!' He doesn't want you to just say 'marry me', he wants something traditional, but he's progressive enough that he'd accept a woman proposing to him. You just have to take a more subtle, traditional approach."

" _I_ propose to _him_?! You'd think it'll work?" Fangmeyer asked.

"Yeah, I mean, I know you guys have only been dating less than a week, but you've been making goo-goo eyes at each other for over a year. I think he wants a commitment in this relationship as much as you do."

"I'll give it a shot. I just have to find the right approach."

"Hide a wedding ring in an eclair." Judy joked.

Fangmeyer chuckled. "He'd probably choke on it." She then got a guilty expression on her face. "Judy, I'm...I'm really sorry for the way I acted before. I let my emotions get the best of me."

"It's okay, I know a thing or two about losing your temper. Now let's talk to them real quick and hit the gym! You have a parade to attend tonight!"

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick and Spots were heading up the escalators to the second floor. They had just come from the tuxedo shop and were both dressed in stylish tuxes and sunglasses. They were heading to the tattoo and jeweler parlor for Spots to get her nose piercing. However, a long, square-spotted neck was completely blocking the path.

"Excuse me." Nick said, wanting to get past. The neck hadn't moved.

"Oooh! I wonder if they have this pattern in my size!"

"HEY!" Shouted Spots. "We're trying to get through here!"

"Oopsie-doodle! I'm sorry! Be right out!" The long neck pulled out of the store. If was a young giraffe around Spots age. She had a purse around her neck.

Spots was surprised at who she saw. She took off her shades. "I recognize that 'Oopsie-Doodle' ! Suzie! Is that you?!"

The giraffe squinted at the hyena. "...Vivian?"

"Yeah! It's me!"

The giraffe squealed and pranced. "EEEEEEEEE!"

Spots did the same. "EEEEEEEE!"

Nick mockingly did the same. "EEEEEEE! Who's Suzie?"

Spots chuckled at Nick's silly reaction. "Suzie is an old friend of mine from elementary school. Wow! I haven't seen you in years!"

"Is she lesbian too?" Nick asked.

"Eeew! No!" The giraffe replied. "Sorry Viv! No offense."

"None taken." She replied. "Suzie's totally not gay. She's boy crazy! I'm talkin' any species of boy, she goes nuts over. Hey Suzie! Remember when you had a crush on Derek?"

"Yeah so?" She asked. "What was wrong with him?"

"He was a mouse!"

"He was a very handsome mouse." Suzie argued. "We ended our relationship when I tried to kiss him on the lips and almost swallowed him whole."

The giraffe gasped. "Viv! What happened to your foot?"

"It's a long story." Spots replied. "A killer hawk bit it off when I was saving some bunnies."

Suzie's jaw dropped. "Whoooah! You always were tough, but that's hardcore! Who's the fox?"

"This is my new dad, Nick Wilde."

Suzie's ears drooped. "What happened to your parents?"

Spots pulled her ears back. She looked at the ground. "Three years ago, they were killed. Witness protection couldn't help it."

Tears were forming around Suzie's eyes. "That's horrible! C'mere and give me neck!"

Spots walked over and hugged Suzie's neck. They rubbed their heads together.

Nick was confused. " 'Killed?' 'Witness protection?!' You only told me they died!"

Spots sniffled after she was done hugging Suzie's neck. "I don't like to talk about it. It really hurts to bring it up."

"I know honey, but I'm a big part of your life now. I should hear this stuff!"

Suzie changed the subject. "So where are you two headed?"

"My dad's gonna get us a mini-van. But first, I'm gonna get my nose pierced!"

"Hardcore!" Suzie yelled. "Can I watch? I've always wondered what that's like."

"Sure! You can come along!" Nick said. Nick and Spots walked along the second floor to the tattoo and jeweler parlor while Suzie's feet remained on the first floor.

"The good thing about being a giraffe is that I can shop all three floors at once!"

Moments later, Spots was sitting in a chair. She had picked out her ring and was ready for the piecing. However, she was incredibly nervous about the procedure.

"I-Is it gonna hurt?" She asked the jeweler. A beaver woman with several piercings and a Mohawk.

"Well it ain't gonna tickle." She replied.

The hyena whined in fear. "M-maybe I shouldn't do this!"

"Don't worry freckles. It won't be so bad." Nick said while rubbing her back.

Suzie giggled. " 'Freckles!' That's cute!"

The beaver came back with the piercing tools and ring. Spots started to squirm, but Nick held her down.

The beaver tried to calm her down. "Don't worry kid! There's just one sharp sting and it's all over."

She started to whine again. Tears were forming on her eyes. "I-It's gonna hurt!"

Nick rubbed his cheeks on hers. "Hey now! Where's that tough girl who got her foot bitten off by a hawk and kept fighting?"

"T-That's when I was Scratch!" She argued. "I'm Spots now! Plus, I wasn't expecting my foot to be bitten off!"

"Quit squirming or it'll really hurt!" The beaver warned.

She was shaking now. Tears were rolling down. "Daddy! I can't!"

Nick gripped her paw gently with his. "It's okay princess, I'm here."

It was like hearing her birth father again. She relaxed in the chair. "I love you."

 _SNICK!_

"OW!"

"All done!" Said the beaver. The ring was in. She dabbed the blood coming out as best she could.

Suzie started to cry. "Th-That was beautiful! Such a sweet mo-homennnt!"

The beaver shooed the giraffe. "Alright you! Scram! Your neck is blocking my door entrance!"

"O-okay!" Suzie sniffled. "I better get going. Bye Viv! See you around! Bye Mr. Wilde! I hope I end up with a dad as nice as you!" She then pulled her neck out of the shop and left.

"She's an orphan?" Nick asked.

"Yeah." Spots said. "Wanna make her my sister?"

"HA! Are you kidding?! She couldn't even fit in the door of our building!"

Spots was happy. "Outside of the piercing, that didn't hurt that bad at all!"

"Nope!" Said the beaver. "That comes when I add this peroxide to help clot the blood around the wound.."

"What?..OW! OWWW! IT STINGS!"

"HA! I know!" Laughed the beaver. "They always worry about the piercing. They never expect it! _SIGH!_ I love my job."

About a half-hour later, they were at the car dealership. Tuxedos and Hay-ban sunglasses on. Nick was holding a briefcase. A car dealer approached him. He was a kangaroo. He recognized Nick right away.

"Oi! I recognize you fella! You an that little fennec bloke came in 'ear a few years back actin' like you wuz browzin' and just drank all our coffee! Now you got this sheila runnin' a scam with ya? And why does she 'ave blood on her suit?"

"That's none of your concern." Spots said coolly and calmly.

Nick got in the dealers face. "So here's what's going to happen. First, I'm gonna slap you in the face and you're gonna thank me. Second, I'm going to make it rain inside this dealership."

"Oi! Jerry! Call security!"

"Third...You are going to have Jerry there get me the finest mini-van you have in stock. I want one that's adjustable for mammals of different sizes to drive."

The kangaroo got in his face. "You ain't gonna do anythin' or I'll call the cops!"

Nick got out his wallet and showed the dealer his badge. "Sir, I am the cops! You have insulted me! Spots...give me a wad."

Spots open the case and the kangaroo gave it a quick glance. His eyes bulged. Spots got out a wad of cash and handed it over to Nick. Nick took the wad of $100 bills and slapped it across the kangaroo's face.

"Now if you want to see more of this cash, what's the magic word?"

"Th-Thank you?!" The dealer shouted.

"That's right!" Nick handed the wad of cash back to Spots. "Now, my dear daughter...MAKE IT RAIN!"

Nick got on his knees with his arms outstretched. Spots took the rubber band off the wad of cash and slid the $100 bills off one by one making it rain cash all over. Nick was reveling in this fantasy moment come to life.

"HAA-HAHAHAAA!"

"Jerry! Fergit security! Get this gentlefox the best minivan on the lot!"

"And make it snappy!" Nick added.

Moments later, Nick had paid for the vehicle in cash and he and Spots where on the road. They threw off the Hay-bans, looked at each other and started to laugh.

"I have had that fantasy in my head ever since they shooed me and Finnick off the lot five years ago. Wow! That felt good."

"Who's Finnick?" Spots asked.

"A good friend of mine. He's kinda missing right now. He's been like a father to me in the past."

"Sounds like a cool guy!"

"He's actually a bit of a jerk, but we always got along. I miss him."

"Why are you going so slow?" Spots asked.

"It's a new car annnd..I'm kind of a bad driver to be honest."

"So you're gonna have a mini-van full of kids with a bad driver?"

"I'm doing better!" He argued. There was a bit of silence and Nick decided to dig a little into Spots past. "So...your parents were killed and they were in witness protection?"

"STOP!" She yelled. "Please don't bring it up! It hurts!"

"Okay freckles, but you're seeing a therapist tomorrow and you'll have to spill the beans then." Nick warned.

"No I won't."

"Yes...you..will!" He said sternly. "As for now, how's your new foot holding up?"

"It still hurts when the medication slows down, but I can put my weight on it. I put these rubberbands on the bottom so the foot has more grip!"

"Cool. Think you're up for a little sparring at the ZPD gym?" He said with a sly smile.

"Hell ya! I need to let off some steam! Don't go easy on me! Except the nose. Don't hit my nose right now."

"You're the boss, but I warn you, I was a pretty fighter good back at the academy."

"Judy knocked out a rhino."

Nick was miffed. "UGH! She always brings that up! I had my share of wins to y'know? I...I got a TKO on a koala!"

Spots just laughed. They drove off to the ZPD station.


	5. Chapter 5: Ring Rage

Chapter 5: Ring Rage

 **A.N. - Before anyone asks, no. Suzie will not be adopted by Nick and Judy. She's a very minor character. I have some ideas for her, but you won't be reading about her again for a long, long time.**

 **I saved the drama and it's finally here! And not just for your mama!**

 *** = It's true! A hyena has longer front legs than back.**

 **Tuesday, 5:05pm**

Wolford and Fangmeyer were cheering Clawhauser on as he was hitting the punching bag at the ZPD gym. Everyone was dressed in their exercise gear. The fat cat was sweating up a storm.

"C'mon Benny!" Wolford cheered. "Eye of the tiger! Eye of the tiger!"

"Yeah! Eye of me!" Fangmeyer added.

Clawhauser was panting. "C-can I stop now? My paws are going numb!"

Siting in a corner nearby was Judy Hopps. She finally had a free moment to get on her phone and talk to her son, Michael. Vivian picked up the call on their way home from the local mall while Bobby was driving.

" _Hey Judy!... Michael! It's your mom on the phone! We're just coming back from the mall and spoiling the kids. How's everything over there?"_

"The same madness as usual." Judy chuckled. "I have Clawhauser as a partner now. His girlfriend got jealous and mooned me. Almost caused a wreck!"

" _That's a typical day for you?"_

"Yup. So anything new going on with you guys?"

" _Hang up and I'll put you on Yipe."_ Judy did as Vivian asked and within a minute, they were talking again with video chat.

"So what was so important you had to get me on video chat?" Judy asked. Vivian showed Judy the wedding ring on her finger. The hare freaked out. "Oh my gosh! OH MY GOSH! You guys are getting married?!"

" _Yeah! He proposed to me in the food court. There was a big chorus and everything!"_

"That's wonderful!" Judy shouted. "Does Nick know?"

" _Oh he knows!"_ Bobby said with a sour expression. _"He's not very excited about it."_

"Don't be too mad Bobby. For him, no one can replace his dad."

" _I'M NOT TRYING TO..."_ He calmed down. _"I'm supporting his mother and taking very good care of her. You'd think he'd be happy for at least that. My latest song just sold for over six million dollars!"_

"Yowzers!" Judy exclaimed. "I'm starting to regret breaking up with you!"

Vivian and Bobby both laughed.

"Well, I'm happy to know she'll be well off now. Can I speak to my son?"

" _Sure!"_ Vivian handed the phone to Michael. Judy melted at the sight of him.

"Hi sweetie!"

" _Hi mommy!"_ Michael replied.

"Are you being good? Are you getting along with Peter?"

" _Well.."_ Petey put his face against Michael's.

" _Hi mith Judy! Me and Mike are_ GLICK! _best fwiends now!"_ Petey exclaimed.

" _No we're not!"_ Michael shouted back.

" _Do you haff any other fwiends?"_

" _Cotton."_

" _Nooo. Cotton is your_ BLING! _girlfwiend!"_

" _Oh! Then...no."_

" _Then that maketh me your_ NARF! _Betht fwiend!"_

Michael just sighed. Judy laughed at the moment. She then noticed he was holding some plush dolls.

"Who are they?" She asked.

" _This is Judy. She's a bunny cop."_

Judy chuckled "Reminds me of someone I know. What's the other doll?"

" _It's a fox. The bunny is the mommy and the fox is the daddy."_

"Ooooh." Judy was liking where this was going. "What's the daddy's name?"

" _Tom."_

"Oh...I see." It made sense. Tom Redtail was the one who lost an arm saving her son's life. It's only natural he'd idolize him. Sadly, any hope of a relationship with him died when he started mating her sister Jenny.

" _Mommy? Are you coming to visit tonight?"_

"Not tonight sweetie. I promised Terry I'd support her during the gay pride parade, but I'll be over tomorrow night for sure!"

" _Oh."_ he said with great disappointment in his voice. _"Will...will we live near Cotton and Petey?"_

"I don't know." Judy said glumly. "Nick moved out this morning and I don't know where he's going."

Michael was depressed. _"I don't wanna talk anymore."_

Judy hated when he got like this, but she knew how hard this change in his life had become. "Okay baby! Mommy loves you very, very much and I'll see you tomorrow night. This will get better. I promise!"

" _Whatever."_ Michael replied as he hung up the phone.

After the call, Judy was almost in tears, then she heard someone shouting. "Hey guys! Nick is gonna spar in the ring with his new daughter! I got bets going!" Judy's ears perked up and she took off.

Meanwhile in Vivian's car, Michael was starting to sniffle. He beat on his bunny doll in frustration.

Bobby saw what was going on. "Hey Mike? When we get home, I got a special gift ready just for you, okay? I think you're gonna love it."

Michael's ears went up. "Really?"

"Yeah! It's something that was passed from my grandfather to my father and now, I'm gonna give it to you. I don't have a son, but...I think it will be perfect for a kid like you."

"What is it?!" He said with excitement.

"You'll see."

 **Moments earlier...**

Nick and Spots arrived at the ZPD. They parked their new mini van in the parking lot and were greeted by officer Grizzoli.

The polar bear gave him a wide smile. "'AAY! It's-a Wilde and his-a new figlia! Dass a nice, new ride you-a got there Nicky!"

Nick smiled. "Thanks Grizzoli. We just got it. How's your accent coming along?"

"It gets-a more racist everyday! Momma-mia! Bambino! A-Spaghetti!"

Spots stayed behind Nick and just growled low at the polar bear officer. It was obvious she didn't like him

Grizzoli felt insulted. "AAY! Wassa-matta-you?! I no-a do nuthin!"

Nick noticed her anger at the bear. "I'm sorry Grizzoli. She's usually very nice to people. I'll see you later."

"You have-a da good day Wilde! Ciao!"

Nick entered the precinct with Spots. He was a little upset with her. "What's wrong with you?! He didn't smell suspicious did he?"

"No. Sorry dad. I just...I don't like polar bears all that much."

"Okay there, specist. I need to change your attitude a bit."

It didn't get better. As they came in, they could feel the thunderous footsteps of the rhino, officer McHorn approaching. Spots quickly hid behind Nick. She was trembling in fear.

"What is wrong with you now?!" Nick whispered.

McHorn approached. "Hey Wilde."

"Hey horn dog! How are you and Pennington getting along?"

"Better than you and Hopps!" The rhino chuckled. "I hear you two got together and broke up within 24 hours!"

Nick rubbed his head. "Yeah, my trip to Bunnyburrow was a bit more than crazy to say the least."

McHorn looked over Nick's shoulder at Spots. "That one of your new kids?"

"AAH!" Spots yiped and hid behind Nick further, grabbing him by the back of the waist. She wasn't just trembling now, Nick could smell a hint of urine.

"P-please make him go daddy!" She said through her trembling.

Nick was in shock. "I...I'm sorry McHorn, but she seems to be scared to death of you. I've never seen anything like this from her!"

McHorn felt bad. "I wouldn't hurt you little miss. I swear!"

Spots just kept er eyes shut. Tears were starting to come out. "Just...p-please go away!"

"Spots!" Nick shouted. He apologized to McHorn. "I'm sorry. I guess she just has a fear of rhinos."

"Well, I understand. I do look big and intimidating. I'll see you later Wilde." The rhino then stomped off. The thunder of his footsteps died off. Nick started to pull Spots off of him.

"You hate polar bears, you're scared to death of rhinos. What's with you today?!"

"I'm sorry dad." she said with a look of shame.

Nick couldn't bear to have her look so sad. "Don't worry about it. Does this have anything to do with your past you won't talk about?"

She nodded yes, he just sighed. "Go and change into some sparring gear and I'll change and wait for you."

"Okay." she said and walked towards the girls locker room.

"And no oggling!" Nick added. "Those women don't know you're lesbian. That's not fair to them! Keep your eyes downward."

"Alright! Alright!" Spots noted. "Sheesh! You're no fun." She stuck her tongue out at him as he left to change.

Moments later, they were in their sparring gear (including headgear) and ready to hit the ring. They were a bit surprised that word got out and some of Nick's co-workers had surrounded the ring and were taking bets.

"I got twenty bucks on the hyena!"

"I'll take ten on Nick! No way an academy trained officer's gonna lose against a young girl!"

"That's sexist! Besides, everyone knows Nick's soft! Thirty bucks on Spots!"

Nick recognized that last voice. "Et tu Judy?"

They both got in the ring. Chants were already going out.

"NICK! NICK! NICK!" Shouted the men.

"SPOTS! SPOTS! SPOTS!" Shouted the women.

Nick and Spots shuffled around each other and gave out some taunts.

"Are you sure your new foot's up to the task little girl?"

"It's fine. I put rubber bands on the bottom for grip and the pills are keeping the pain from being too bad. Just don't hit my nose. The ring is still fresh in there By the way, you forgot something important about hyenas."

"What's that?"

"We got reach!" Spots moved in and gave Nick a few, good jabs to the face. The crowd cheered.

"Nice moves!" Nick said.

"Thanks! A hyenas arms are longer than our legs, making us great for boxing!" *****

"Then I'll just have to get in close!" Nick advanced. Spots took another swing and Nick ducked down only to come back up with an uppercut.

"HEY!" Spots shouted, but then she smiled. "Not bad."

"Bad for you." Nick said. "Your swings are too slow and I know how to dodge!"

"Especially taxes!" Judy added.

"Quiet cotton butt!" Nick replied. Unfortunately for him, he turned his attention away from Spots who got three good blows in. Just as she went for a fourth, Nick dodged and weaved, gave her a slug to the gut followed by left and right punches to the face. He managed to knock Spots to the floor.

Nick taunted her some more. "Face it little girl, you don't have a prayer!"

Spot's pupils shrank. Her mind went back to those words from her past.

" _Face it kid! You don't have a prayer!"_

" _...You don't have a prayer!"_

" _...have a prayer!"_

Now, she was enraged. Spots was gone. Scratch had returned. "WHAT'D YOU SAY TO ME?!"

She charged at Nick and speared him to the ground. His head hit the mat with full force. Scratch got on top of him and hit him with as many punches as she could muster. She was screaming things that made no sense to Nick.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY PARENTS!"

Nick tried to cover his face. "Spots! Stop! I _am_ your parent!"

"RRRAAAAHHH!"

She took off the gloves and ran her fingers across him. It didn't do any damage but Nick knew what it meant.

" _Dear God! She trying to scratch me to death!"_

Being declawed, her fingers did nothing. It gave Nick a moment to kick her off. Judy tried to come to his aid and Scratch swatted her high into the air only for Terry to catch her just as she was about to knock into a pile of barbells.

"I'LL SAVE YOU MOM AND DAD!" Scratch leaped back at Nick and bit deep into his face. Only the headgear kept her fangs at bay. She twisted her head left and right to deepen her teeth in. Nick was desperate for her to stop. He had to think of something.

"STOP! SPOTS! SCRATCH!...PRINCESS!"

It did the trick. She stopped and took her fangs off the headgear. "...Dad?...What happened?"

Lion officer Delgato saw the attack and leaped into the ring. He pinned Spots to the ground and cuffed her.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Nick shouted.

"She attacked you and Hopps! I have no choice but to arrest her!" He then put a muzzle on Spots.

Spots was in tears. "Dad! What's going on?!"

Nick got enraged and stood up. "GET THAT MUZZLE OFF HER NOW!"

Judy jumped in between them. "Calm down Nick! She did just attack you!"

"Calm down?!" Nick growled. "She had a fit. It happens! I'm taking her to a therapist tomorrow! For f #$ sake Delgato! Get that thing off my daughter!"

Nick hopped over Judy and charged at Delgato. Despite the lion being larger, Nick speared him to the ground and managed to get a few blows in before Delgato threw him off.

"That's enough Nick! I'll arrest you too!"

"Leave my little girl alone!" Nick yelled.

A loud voice boomed across the gym. "ENOUGH!" It was chief Bogo. "Wilde! My office! Now!"

"Not without my daughter!"

"She'll be fine. We won't harm her."

Nick started to calm down. "Look, just take the damn muzzle off! Please!"

"Wilde. Take off your headgear."

Nick took off the headgear and saw the bite marks. They went in so deep they were slightly protruding from the other side. Nick couldn't believe what he saw. He had a lump in his throat. His ears went down .

"She...she's a good girl! I swear! This is her first fit like this in two years!"

Judy put her paw on Nick's knee in sympathy.

Nick was starting to tear up. "W-we were having such a good day today! Why now?! What about Cotton and Petey?! Judy! What...what if something like this happens when she's babysitting Michael?! Oh God!" He put his paws in his face and wept.

"If...SNIFF! If she would just tell me what happened the day her parents were killed. I think she could be cured of this."

Bogo rubbed his back. "C'mon. Let's go in my office and talk."

"Daddy help!" Spots screamed as Delgato was pulling her away.

"You'll be okay princess! Daddy's just gonna talk to the chief!" Nick went upstairs with Bogo. Judy followed in support.

Moments later, they were in Bogo's office.

Judy spoke up first. "Sir, I can vouch for her. She's a sweet, mature girl who actually helped put me and Nick in line when we were fighting in front of the kids. Whatever this is, it's very unusual."

Bogo replied to Nick. "I can't stop you from making bail and taking her out of here tonight, but consider the danger she's putting your family and yourself in. You can't see it yet, but you have a black eye from all those punches she gave you."

"I'm not surprised." Nick said. " _SIGH!_ If she would just open up to me! The day her parents died was so tragic and awful for her that she's blocking moments out and I think that's what's causing all this! I said something to her to trigger this. What was it?!"

" Right before she went nuts, you said 'face it little girl, you don't have a prayer'!" Judy noted.

"Maybe that's what some hitman said." Nick mulled over.

Bogo was confused. "Hitman?"

"All I got out of her past is that she lived here in Zootopia until she was ten. Her parents had to leave to Bunnyburrow because of some...witness protection thing and they were killed about a year later."

Bogo finally got it. "What's her first name? Her real one?"

"Vivian. I don't know her original last name. I should ask her that sometime."

"No need. It's Riggson."

Nick's jaw almost hit the floor. "How do you know that?!"

"Because..." The chief replied "I know everything that happened. I'm partially responsible for this mess."


	6. Chapter 6: Secrets Are Out

Chapter 6: Secrets Are Out

 **A/N: Sorry for the lateness of this chapter. Between a power outage, Skylanders and work, I've had a tough time finding time for writing.**

 **Spots confession near the end gets a little graphic. Let me know if this would still count under a "T" rating.**

 **Tuesday, 5:30pm**

Vivian, Bobby and the grandkids had arrived back at the house. Michael was excited for whatever present Bobby was gonna give him. Cotton had wobbled inside on her crutches while Peter had pulled Michael in by the paw. Michael had started to feel guilty about how he had treated Peter. The night before, he had made fun of his speech problem and gotten into a fist fight with him, but Peter fought back with love. He annoyed Michael for sure, but he never stopped trying to be his best friend and Peter insisted on holding the blind bunny's paw and leading him wherever they went. Peter was his best friend, but he was too stubborn to admit it.

They went into the living room. Petey and Cotton watched cartoons on TV together while Michael just listened on the couch. Bobby came down and sat next to him. He handed the bunny a small box.

"What's this?"

"Open it." Bobby replied.

Michael felt around the box. He pulled open the lid. He put his hands in and felt around, finding a hard, metal object wrapped in paper inside. He undid the paper and felt around the object. It was small, heavy and metal with flat ridges and holes all around.

"What is it?" He asked.

"It's a harmonica!" Bobby replied. "This was the first instrument I ever learned to play on. My father taught me and I wanna teach you. I know it sounds prejudiced, but a lot of blind people have grown up to be great musicians. You see...sorry, I mean, you feel these holes in the back? You put your fingers over the holes in certain ways and blow into the front."

Michael tried it. He was surprised at hearing the pleasing sound that came out of the instrument. "Whoa! Can you teach me to play?!"

"Sure thing! I've got all day." The two of them sat together on the couch for a long time. Bobby had helped Michael bring a little joy in adjusting to his new life.

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick, Judy and Bogo where all in the chief's office. Bogo was about to explain what he had known about Spot's past.

"It was four years ago. We had been trying to find dirt on the mafia boss, Rusev for months."

"Rusev?" Nick replied. "Dammit! Not that bastard again."

"Let me finish." Bogo stated. "There was a string of disappearances and murders of other individuals and criminals who had crossed Rusev before, but we had no direct leads or evidence to put Rusev away. We finally had an eyewitness. Lilly Riggson, wife of Jerry Riggson and mother to your current daughter, Vivian. She was a stripper and dancer at Rusev's night club. Rusev was clumsy in that he didn't care if criminal activities happened in front of the girls he hired. He figured none of them would ever dare squeal on him."

Bogo continued. "He was wrong. Lilly wanted out of that way of life and was willing to testify against Rusev as long as her family was put under the witness protection program. It worked. She testified against him and Rusev went to jail for life. We then put the Riggson family under the witness protection program. We gave them a new alias and moved them into a small house in Bunnyburrow. Lilly got a new job as a store clerk while Jerry became a housedad and home schooled his daughter."

"Rusev played the waiting game. There were two ZBI agents watching over the family. Weeks had turned into months, months had turn into a year. Over a year and a half went by with no response. The agents started to relax a little too much and weren't careful. They paid for it with their lives. When the police had arrived, they found both the agents and the parents dead. They had been gored. I was the lead on the case. I should have checked up on them more."

"Rhinos!" Nick replied. "That's why she's scared to death of McHorn!"

"Precisely." Bogo replied. "With their incredibly thick skin, they'd be invincible to her. The only reason she's still alive is that they saw her as no threat and she wasn't on the target list." He sighed. "I blame myself. I'm the one who convinced Lilly to testify and promised her family would be safe. When the agents failed, I failed her."

"My poor baby...That's why she gets into those fits! She was trying to protect her parents! She must have been kicking, biting and scratching with no effect. Whatever they said to her...it must've stayed in the back of her mind all these years. That's why she snapped. The words trigger it!"

"I'm not surprised." Bogo replied. "She's likely suffering from PTSD. Post-traumatic stress disorder. She had a past traumatic experience that's still affecting her. Her trying to bottle it up and forget it exists is only making things worse. The same thing affects many of our own officers. That's why we have a therapist on staff."

"Is she available right now?" Judy asked.

"She's done for the day. She's most likely leaving right now."

"Well, get her!" Nick shouted. "Umm...please sir? Money is no object. I just found out today that I'm a millionaire."

Judy was shocked. "Why are all of my ex-boyfriends ending up millionaires?!"

Moments later, Bogo got off the phone with the therapist. "Spots is not on our insurance. Her fee is $1,500."

"Done!" Nick said. "Just get her back in her office and I'll take Spots there."

Bogo thought about it. "Actually...if Hopps doesn't mind, I'd like _her_ to go pick up Vivian. I need to talk to Wilde in private."

Judy was a little surprised. "Oh! Okay then." She wondered what it was about, but didn't question it. She hooped off the chair and was on her way to the lockup.

Moments later, the chief had made the calls for the release of Spots. Nick sat in the giant chair knowing what was coming next.

"I assume this is about my assignment on Thursday?"

"Correct...Wilde, this will be the toughest assignment you've ever faced. Not just the criminals you'll be facing, but for your family and the hell I'm afraid they'll be put through. Wilde, this assignment must have the utmost secrecy. No one can know about this. Not Hopps, not Vivian, not your mother or children."

"So until I get the information you need, everyone just assumes I'm a criminal?"

"Worse..a murderer. We have a special agent ready for you to 'kill'."

Nick put his paws on his face. "Awww man! I don't need this! I have a family now!"

"I'm sorry to put this on you Wilde, but your reputation before you joined the ZPD as a con-artist makes you the most believable predator in the precinct to turn. I wouldn't put you through this if we didn't so desperately need info on the Big Cheese. Frankly, What with you being a millionaire now, I'm a little surprised you don't quit."

"I can't" the fox responded. "Not with predators attacking prey and bringing more specist fear into the city. There are a lot of good predators out there, but this scum makes them look bad! I have to set the bar and lead the other predators by example."

Bogo smiled. "Good to hear."

Nick sighed. "Who knows about this besides us?"

"A few men I got working on the inside. I'm sorry Wilde. Not even Hopps can be in on this."

"Just as well." Nick replied. "I let her in on the mouse pup case and she goes and brings Fru-Fru ove-OOH CRAP! Forget I said anything!" Nick just realized his huge mistake.

"Bogo's eyes just about bulged out of his head. "Fru-Fru? Mr. Big's daughter?! Are you telling me you and Judy are on familiar terms with the Big family?! The biggest mafia family in Zootopia?!" He grabbed Nick by his collared shirt.

"Y-Yes and no sir! Judy and I were caught in one of his limos during the Night Howler investigation. We were almost iced, but Judy had saved Fru-Fru's life during her chase with the weasel the day before. So, they ended up making us, ummm...family. We only became connected with them because it was either that or death! We don't have any other dealings with them! Honest!"

Bogo set Nick down. "Is that why Mr. Big's eldest granddaughter is named 'Judy'?"

"Yes sir. I'm being honest, we are not a part of the mob!"

"Yes you are." Bogo stated. "Whether you two want it or not. Mob families don't just let you go. You know?...This may be advantageous for us! We have some of Mr. Big's men in lockup. If word leaked out you're part of his family, they may protect you."

"OR.." Nick added. "His enemies would come after me."

"I got news for you. You're a cop. A lot of people in there are ones you and Judy arrested. They are gonna come after you no matter what! Better some protection than none."

Nick got up. "Is that everything sir? I want to see my daughter."

"Yes. I'll E-Mail you the place and time tonight. You're dismissed."

Nick started to leave. Bogo stopped him for a moment.

"I must warn you. You made quite a few enemies. Those you've brought to justice or you may have a great hatred for will be there. That fox Jake you arrested for may even run into Rusev himself. Do...not...fight them! Avoid conflict whenever possible or things will just be worse."

"What about Dawn?" Nick asked.

"Bellwether? She's in a separate prey ward, away from predators. You won't have to worry about her or her rams. Remember Wilde, no one must know about this or it can all be shot to hell."

"I know sir." Nick left with his ears down. He knew his next assignment could be the end of him, but he also knew just how vitally important it was.

 **Moments later...**

Downstairs, Nick ran into Judy and Spots. He rushed over to the hyena and gave her a huge hug and licked her face.

"Spots! Ooh sweetie! Are you okay? Did they hurt you? You didn't have that damn muzzle on long did you?"

"It's okay dad! I wasn't in there long. I'm okay!"

Nick grabbed her by the arms. "No! You're not okay! You have TSP!"

"I have..baking soda?"

Judy slapped her forehead. "He means you have PTSD!"

"Ooooh!...What's that?"

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The day you saw your parents died is still greatly affecting you."

"Thanks fluff." Nick replied. "She's right freckles. Look, Bogo told me everything. He was on your parents case. The agents and your parents getting gored...you fighting the rhinos..."

"I DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT THAT!" She screamed.

"You have to! Honey, we are going to see the precinct therapist right now! Things they said are triggering these rage fits! If you have to get this out of your system."

"But,,,,but,,,you know what happened now. Why do I need to say anything?"

"Because if you don't face it and deal with it, it will haunt you forever. I was thinking...I don't think you attacked Rose just out of anger. I think she said something to you that triggered the fit. Something the rhinos said."

"Please stop!" Spots yelled. "I'll...I'll go, but it's gonna be hard."

"Let's go then." They headed out together. Nick noticed Judy was following behind. "You tagging along Carrots?"

"If you don't mind." She said in a bashful tone.

Nick gave her a warm smile. "No. I don't mind. Spots can use all the support she can get."

Spots noticed Nick and Judy were starting to get along again. As they were walking, Spots nudged Nick on the shoulder and gave him a smile. "See? Told ya I get what I want."

"Hey now!" We're still way far away from what you want y'know?"

"Yeeeah, but it's getting there! Slowly but surely."

Nick just rolled his eyes. "Y'know though...we have a connection I didn't know about before. Rusev killed your father and he may have killed mine as well. It's certainly his fault my dad's dead."

Spots was surprised. "I didn't know!"

They got the the office. Judy was confused at the sign. "Jane Doe...The rapist?"

"It's therapist!" Jane Doe said as she peeked her head out the door. "Damn cops keep messing with my sign as a joke. C'mon in! I'm on your dime now."

Spots started backing away but Nick gently grabbed her hand. "It's okay princess."

Reluctantly, she went in.

Jane Doe slapped down the paperwork and handed Spots a bucket. "What's this for?" The hyena asked.

"Vomit bucket. Just in case. Some of these sessions can get pretty intense. Now, says here you're dealing with a past trauma that causes you to go into violent, killer fits when you might hear a certain phrase that was said during the traumatic event. Is that correct?"

Spots just looked at the bucket for a second and was hesitant. "Y-Yeah. I...I saw my parents get murdered a few years back."

"I imagine your psyche' has been working hard to block out the memory. But when you hear certain phrases from the event, your mind flashes back and you go into a rage. Correct?"

"I..." She started to tear up. "In my mind...I try to stop the rhinos."

"Have you had nightmares about this event?"

Spots squeezed Nick hand and squeezed her own eyes tightly shut. " _SNIFF!_ Yes! All the time!"

Nick was shocked. "You never told me this!"

The doe continued. "Have you ever had thoughts of suicide?"

"Yes. At the orphanage."

Judy was horrified. She laid her head down. "You poor dear!"

"I prefer 'doe'."

"Not you!"

"She was biting herself too at times." Nick added.

"Oh dear. With an 'a' I mean." The doe stood up, walked over to Spots and knelt in front of her. She placed a hoof on the hyenas lap. "Now listen very carefully. You've been blocking this event and bottling it inside your mind instead of dealing with it. It's NOT going away! The violent fits, the thoughts of suicide, the self mutilation, it WILL return if this is not dealt with! You need to talk about it. You need to remember and let it out or else things will only get worse and worse!"

From a bag, Nick took out his headgear with her deep fang marks. "Look."

Spots took a good look at it. "Oh God! Dad! I'm so sorry! That could have been your face!" She started to cry."

The doe kept talking. "Spots...what happened that day? Tell us in detail. Let it out!"

"Please!" Spots cried "I don't want to!"

Nick put his arm around her. "Let me help. I know the story thanks to Bogo. I can lead sometimes. What happened BEFORE the rhinos came?"

Spots winced as she was remembering. "NNRRR! Me a-and my dad! We were playing boxing. He was holding up his hands and letting me jab them. He...he always believe in me! Whether it was wanting to be a boxer or just being gay. He was always there for me! Like you." She gave him a hug.

"Then what happened?" Asked the doe.

"Mom came home. He gave her a kiss. She gave me a hug. Everything was f-f-fine!" She stopped.

The doe needed more information. "Then what happened?"

Spots just shut down. Nick held her tightly. "The rhinos came, didn't they?"

She shook her head "yes" as tears were starting to roll. "My mom...she heard the sound of a car engine as it came to a halt in front of our house, It...it was a black limo. She... _GASP!_...she screamed RUN! and we all ran out the back of the house for our lives!...C-C-Can I have some water?"

"Sure." The doe handed her a cup. Her paws were trembling as she held the glass to her lips.

"Please continue" said the doe. "And detail is very important!"

Nick lead. "They charged, didn't they?"

"Yes!" Spots said. Tears were raining down her cheeks. "The house was primarily wood. They tore through it like it was paper! We ran and ran through the forest behind our house! S-s-she lost her footing a few times and dad stopped to grab her. I knew they weren't gonna make it! I...I turned around! I was ready to die for them! I loved them!...DAMMIT! I LOVED THEM SO MUCH!"

She wept without apology. Her rose was running like a faucet as well and she didn't care. Nick rubbed her cheek with his as he held her tight. "Let it out princess! Don't hold back!"

"I LEAPED AT THEM!...I leaped. I bit at the back of one guys neck while the other kept going. I bit and I kicked and I bit and I scratched and BIT and SCRATCHED! BIT! KICKED! SCRATCHED! NOTHING!" She buried her face into Nick's chest. "Their skin was so thick! They were like tanks! They were invincible! INVINICIBAALLL! BAAAWW-HAAAWW-HAAAW! I-I-I was so weak and pathetic! I couldn't do anything! I _SNIFF!_ I tried scratching his eyes and he threw me down! SO DAMN WEAK!"

Nick rubbed the back of her head as she wept. "You're not weak and pathetic! You were ten and they were rhinos! You did everything you possibly could! Did he say anything to you?"

"Wh-when I was biting his head. He..he said 'Face it kid! You don't a have a prayer of stopping us!' "

"That's very close to what I said when you attacked me!" Nick replied. "Did he say anything else?"

"He...he threw me off and said 'Get off me, fag!' You were right! E-exactly like what Rose said. He threw me against a rock and I hit my head hard. As I was passing out, I heard him say 'you're lucky you ain't on the list!' "

"The hit list no doubt." Judy added. She rubbed Spots back. "Was there anything else before you passed out?"

"PleaseDon'tMakeMeSayIt! Please,PLEASE!Don'tMakeMeSayIt! PLEASE!"

"The doe spoke. "Vivian, we are at the final stretch. When you release this memory, it'll all be over. I know it's painful, but you HAVE to complete this!"

She layed her head on Nick's chest and closed her eyes. "I-I-I w-was passing out and laying on my ssssside! I saw..."

Spots suddenly grabbed Judy and pulled her in. "Woah!" She hugged her like a plush doll. Judy was sandwiched between Nick and Spots. "Well, this is a tight squeeze!"

Still sobbing Spots finished. "I saw...the other rhino caught up to them! He...he shoved my dad down and stepped on him! He...he...he then grabbed my mom and pinned her to a tree annNNAAAHHH!"

Nick was sobbing too. He rubbed her cheeks with his and petted her mane. "I'm still here princess. You can do this! You're tough!"

"Th-That bastard was so strong! H-He plowed his horn right through her and the tree! AAHHAAAAHH! _GASP!_ AAAAHHHH! Bucket! Bucket!"

Jane quickly handed Spots the bucket and she threw up. Judy dodged out of the way, but still rubbed Spots back.

Nick held the bucket and her head. "That's it honey! Get it out of your system! Let it out!"

She finished and set the bucket down. She was panting from being short of breath. "That's all! That's all I can remember. When I came to, the ZBI told me the rest. My parents were dead and I was sent to the orphanage."

The doe patted Spots knee. "Thank you for that. I know it was real tough, but the worst is behind you now. How do you feel?"

"Like I've been through a war, but...I do feel a lot better now that I finally got that out of my system. I won't let those words affect me. It's just...I felt so useless! That rhino was invincible to everything I gave them!"

The doe looked at her. "You did everything in your power to stop this. I want you to look me in the eye. Do you feel partially responsible for your parents death?"

Spots started to tear up again. "Yes! Why couldn't I stop this?!"

"Because you were a ten year old hyena fighting two large, thick-skinned rhinos. You were nothing to them! You need an affirmation. Nick, I want you to grab your daughter's shoulders and stare into her eyes. Tell her what she needs to hear."

Nick stared into her eyes. "Spots you did everything... _everything_ in your power to stop this, but there was nothing you could do. I want you to look me in the eyes and repeat after me. Okay?"

"O-Okay." She sniffled.

"This is not my fault!"

"This is...This is not my fault!"

"I did everything I could!"

"I did everything I could!"

"I was willing to die for them!"

"I was willing to die for them!"

"I'M A GOOD DAUGHTER!"

"I'M A GOOD DAUGHTER!"

She was feeling better and better, but surprisingly, Nick was feeling worse.

"THIS IS NOT MY FAULT!"

"THIS IS NOT MY FAULT!"

"I DID EVERYTHING I COULD!"

"I DID EVERYTHING I COULD!"

"I...I...I'M A TERRIBLE SON!" Nick started to break down.

"I'M A...wha?!"

Even Judy was surprised. "Nick?"

Nick had his paws on his face and was weeping. " _GASP!_ What kind of son am I?! I know I ran away because child services was gonna take me from her but...but then I said those awful things to my father and I thought his death was my fault! I...couldn't face her! I ABANDONED HER! I barely saw her off and on for over 20 years! She wanted me back home and I left her all by herself all of those years! "

Spots hugged her father. "It's okay dad! It's not your fault!"

"YES IT IS!" Nick yelled as tears ran down his face. "That's why I hate Bobby so much! He's not just a good husband for her! He's...he's a better son to her than I EVER was and I HATE HIM FOR THAT! HE DESERVES HER LOVE MORE THAN I DO!"

He opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out for moment. Finally he was able to let it go. Spots and Judy gave him a group hug. Spots chuckled. "Way to make it about you, ya jerk!"

"Sorry." Nick said as he wiped tears away. "It's just...we were confessing and everything was getting emotional. I was just in the moment. Is there anything you wanted to get off your chest Carrots?"

"No. I have a scheduled appointment for tomorrow. I would like to bring my son to that if that's okay. He's going through a real bad time right now."

"He's not insured." The doe warned.

Nick just rolled his eyes. "I'll pay for it."

Judy patted Nick. "Thank you!...Nick?...Can...Can we be friends again?"

Nick smiled. "I wouldn't have taken you here with me if I felt we weren't."

"Thanks." She smiled. "Why...Why don't we turn back time a little. On our relationship status that is."

"How far?"

"Maybe...this time last week?"

"We...kinda confessed we had feelings for one another we voluntarily weren't acting on."

Judy chuckled. "Okay, a few months ago."

"Platonic best buds with a deep romantic and sexual tension just dwelling under the surface only this time we both have our own kids?"

"Bingo!"

"Nick chuckled. "I'll take it. But I still can't partner with you again. I'm sorry Carrots, but you made me lose my trust in you and that's gonna take a while to get back."

Judy bowed her head. "I understand."

Spots interrupted. "Dad? I know your chief was the main guy on the case. He convinced my mom to testify against Rusev, right?"

" _Uh-Oh."_ Nick thought. "Ummmm...yes. Yes he was."

Spots looked at Nick sternly. "I'd like to talk to him."


	7. Chapter 7: A Friendship Renewed

Chapter 7: A Friendship Renewed

 **A/N Well, after that last depressing chapter, time for some happy moments!**

 *** = As seen in the story "My turn to drive."**

 **Tuesday, 6:05pm**

Nick, Judy and Spots were leaving the therapists office. Spots gave the doe a hug.

"Remember to schedule some follow ups so I can check on your progression." The doe said.

"And take more of my cash. " Nick added. The three started to walk away.

Nick talked to Spots. "You feeling better now freckles?"

"Oh yeah!" The hyena grinned. She looked over at Judy. "Thanks for supporting me, Miss H!"

"You're welcome! Although you really sandwiched me in on that hug!"

Spots chuckled. "Sorry...Hey dad?"

"Yeah Spots?"

She held his hand. "...I don't know how good of a son you were to your mom, but you're just as good a dad as the one I lost."

Nick stopped for a moment. "Vivian, I can _never_ replace your father. Not fully."

"I know. But as a dad, you're doing a damn good job."

He smiled and hugged her. "Thanks. Now, umm..this talk with Bogo. You're not gonna kill him are you?"

"Nooo. I just wanna talk."

Nick was a little suspicious. "Well...okay then."

Judy started to head out. "The parade starts at 7pm. I better get home so I can get dressed for it."

"Need a lift?" Nick asked. "Our new home is a...fair stretch from your place, but we're driving right by."

Judy smiled. "Well, I'm risking my life with you behind the wheel but...okay! I'll see you outside of Bogo's office. I'm gonna go say 'bye' to Ben and Terry!"

"Tell them I love their ice cream."

"Har-Har. That's 'Ben and Jerry' y'know?" She walked off.

Moments later, Spots knocked on chief Bogo's office door. The big buffalo was going over some paperwork..

"Come in!"

The door opened. Bogo saw the hyena girl walk in with Nick behind her. A huge feeling of guilt came over him.

"...Vivian Riggson."

"It's Wilde now." she replied. The buffalo stood up and walked around his desk,.

"You were the one on the case?" Spots asked.

"Yes."

Spots fangs showed. She was a little angry, but not much. "You...you were the one who convinced my mom to testify?"

"I was." Bogo said solemnly.

"You were the one who caught Rusev and arrested him?"

"Yes. He's serving three life sentences with no possibility of parole."

"Good." Spots rushed over to Bogo and gave him a big hug. The buffalo was a bit surprised.

"Listen!" She sniffled. "I w-wanted to thank you for locking that bastard up! _SNIFF!_ Those ZBI agents slacked off, not you! What happened to my mom and dad, it was not your fault! You did everything you could!"

Bogo got on his knees to give her a better hug. He started to weep a little. "W-Wilde, could you please leave the room?"

"Okay, ya big softy!" Nick replied and he shut the door behind him.

Bogo was a bit teary-eyed. "Thank you so much for that! Most victims just blame for the things outside of my control."

She rubbed her head on his chest. "When I grow up, I wanna be a cop just like my dad! I don't want any other kids to go through what I did!"

"Well that's a great goal to have!" Spoke the buffalo. "It will be challenging with that metal foot, but I think you'll be up to the task."

They separated and she smiled at him. "Thank you sir. I better get going now."

Bogo gave her a smiling salute. "Cadet Wilde dismissed!"

She giggled as she left the office. Bogo went back to his papers, only with a smile and a whistle on his lips. The happiest he'd been in weeks.

 **Moments earlier...**

Judy walked back into the gym only to see Clawhauser on the ground with Fangmeyer on top of him. She had her arms folded in and he was pushing her up and down with his arms like a weight. He'd push her up and then slowly bring her down for a quick kiss, then push her back up.

"Three! _Mwah!_ Four! _Mwah!_ Five!..."

Wolford was watching the whole thing. "I don't know whether ta be grossed out or jealous."

"I think your wife would prefer the first option." Judy said.

"So where have you been?" Wolford asked.

"I went along with Nick and Spots to help her with her therapy. Her attack on Nick was due to a past trauma that was still bothering her. She's much better now. It was real emotional!"

"Sounds like you and Nick are on track ta bein' friends again!"

"We are!" Judy replied. "I guess we can't stay mad at each other for very long."

Clawhauser heard this and dropped Fangmeyer as he got up. "YOU AND NICK ARE BACK TOGETHER?!"

 _THUD!_ "OOOF!"

"Sorry honey!"

"Don't get too excited, you two!" Judy replied. "We're just friends. Nothing else. We're still not partners and he still hasn't forgiven me for shooting that unarmed suspect, but at least hings are looking better."

"Still, this is great news!" Ben said excitedly.

Terry got up. "The Whipps train is back on track and picking up steam!"

Ben added "Choo-Choo!"

Judy looked disgusted. "Whipps?"

"Yeah! An amalgamation of Wilde and Hopps. We can make it "Nudy" if you'd like."

Judy just rubbed her head. "Oh brother! Look, I gotta go. Nick is dropping me off at my apartment so I can get ready to watch the parade. I'll see you guys there okay?"

"Okay!" They said together.

As she left, Terry and Ben started singing. Terry started.

" _Come on, ride the train."_

Ben added. _"Choo-Choo!"_

" _Yeah ride it!"_

" _Choo-Choo!"_

Wolford followed behind them. "Y'know, you two 'er already in a relationship. Ya ain't gotta be obsessed with theirs!"

"Yes we dooo!" They replied cheerfully.

 **Moments later...**

Judy was walking with Nick and Spots to their mini-van. As he opened the side door for Judy to get in, she noticed three child booster seats strapped in.

"You got three booster seats?" Judy asked."

"Correction fluff, they're 'bunny seats'. At least, that's what I call them. Cotton's big enough to take a seat belt and I figure you'd like to see over the dash. And...if for any reason you need to drive, the gas and brake pedals are adjustable to rise up. Hop in!"

Judy got up in the booster seat and strapped herself in. "What? No baby bottle filled with carrot juice this time?" *

"Maybe next time." Nick replied.

Spots giggled. "Baby bottle?!"

"You laugh, but Nick makes a mean bottle of carrot juice!"

Nick and Spots hopped in the front seats. Judy took a look around and made an observation. "So let me get this straight. We broke up early Sunday morning, you had no idea if we were gonna make up again, it's now Tuesday and you buy a mini-van that's adjustable enough for ME to drive along with booster seats for me and Michael?"

Nick ears blushed red. "I...I just like to have all my bases covered."

"Riiiight." Judy replied. "Just be careful with your driving. My life is in your hands now."

"Don't worry fluff, I'm VERY careful now. After all, I got a 'bunny on board'. Heh! I should get a bumper sticker!"

They drove off from the ZPD. While on the road, Spots decided to crank up the radio and play her favorite music, death metal. She was banging her head to the music while Judy was covering her ears in horror.

 _EAT THE FLESH! DESTROY THE MEEK! TASTE BLOOD OF THOSE GEEKS!_

 _EAT THE PREY! IT'S YOUR TURN! DESTROY THE WORLD! WATCH IT BURN!_

"Turn it off!" Judy yelled.

"What?!" Spots asked.

"I SAID, TURN IT OFF!" She screamed.

"Fine!" Spots turned off the station.

"Thanks Carrots!" Nick added. "My poor, poor ears!"

Spots was peeved. "Hey! When you have three little six to seven years old's singing 'Wheels on the bus' for the hundredth time and listening to Radio Dizzy, you'll be begging for death metal!"

"No, I'll just be begging for death." the fox replied.

They arrived in front of the apartment complex. "Well Carrots, this is your stop!"

Judy was already feeling a bit lonely about the situation. "Do...you wanna come in for a bit of coffee?"

"We'd love to, but we gotta get ready for the parade ourselves. We'll see you tonight!"

She hopped out of the mini-van. "Okay! See you!"

Moments later, she entered her room. Her dank, dark, lonely room. It was so quiet, even her sensitive ears couldn't pick up any sounds. She saw that the ash tray full of mouse poop was still on the kitchen floor.

"Stupid fox! Didn't even bother to empty it." She took the ash tray and dumped the remains in the toilet. She then threw it in the sink to wash later. She then sat on her couch and went for the remote. She noticed the indent of where Nick sat. She just left his van and she missed him already. It was so silent. There's wasn't even Bucky and Kronk yelling at each other to keep her company. She never felt more alone in her life. She was starting to weep.

Then, she heard a sound.

 _TAP! TAP! TAP!_ "Housekeeping!"

"Not now!" She sniffled.

"I come in now?!"

"No!"

There was a long pause. _TAP! TAP! TAP!_ "Candygram!"

Judy was getting frustrated. "What is going on?!" She opened the door only to find Nick Wilde standing there with a small mug.

"Hello madam! I'm here as a member of the itty-bitty welcoming committee and I was wondering if I could borrow a small cup of granulated goodness."

Judy chuckled. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"LEND ME SOME SUGAR! I AM YOUR NEIGHBOR!"

Spots opened the door behind Nick, revealing their room. She started dancing.

" _Shake it like a Polarat picture!"_

Judy was stunned. "Woah! Woah! THAT'S your new place?!"

"Yup! The Tuckenrolls were way behind on their rent so miss Logan threw them out! Literally. It's got three rooms, so we took it!"

"But...but you said your new place was a fair stretch away!"

"It is! Watch!" Nick then laid and stretched himself across the floor between the two rooms. His feet managed to touch the entrance to Judy's apartment while his fingertips managed to touch the entrance to his apartment.

"See? A fair stretch."

He stood back up, waiting for Judy to lower the boom on him. "Sooo what do you think? Too stalker-y? You're upset, aren't you?"

Judy said nothing. She walked over into Nick's building and took a quick glance.

" _Hee! Hee! I bet she's pissed!"_ Nick thought. He loved teasing her.

"This is...WONDERFUL!" Judy ran over and hugged Nick.

Nick was a bit surprised. "Really?"

"Of course! Michael will have Cotton and Petey close by to play with and Spots can babysit without having to take a bus! You'll be close by and we can still hang out! This is absolutely perfect! Ooooh! I can't wait to tell him, he's gonna be so happy!"

A surprised Nick just looked over at Spots She gave him a look like "See? I always get what I want."

Judy quickly called up Vivian Wilde's home. Bobby answered. _"Hello?"_

"Bobby, it's Judy!"

" _Judy! Oh my Gosh! I wanted to call you earlier! Your child is a musical prodigy! He's a genius!"_

Judy was confused. "What?"

" _I gave him a harmonica a little while ago and he took to it like you wouldn't believe! He's already making his own melodies on it!"_

"Well that's great! I've got good news too! Nick moved real close by! He's got an apartment just a few feet away in the same building! Michael can visit his friends any time he likes!"

" _Well I'm sure he'll be really happy to hear that! So, you and Nick and item again?"_

"No. Not quite, but at least we're friends again."

Nick interrupted. "Tell him I wanna talk to him for a sec!"

"Nick wants to to talk."

Bobby wanted off the phone fast after hearing that. _"Uhhh Viv is calling me! I gotta go! See ya!"_ He quickly hung up.

Nick's ears drooped. "Awww! I just wanted to apologize!"

"Did you two get into a fight?" Judy asked.

"Big time. I said I forbided..forbid...forbade?..him and my mother from getting married. I was being a total jerk!"

Judy's ears went down as well. "I know a thing or two about being a jerk. I'm really sorry about everything that happened in Bunnyburrow."

"Me too." Nick replied.

"Now kiss!" Spots demanded.

Judy chuckled. "Shut up, or I'll start calling you Clawhauser!"

Spots had a question. "So ummm dad. Where are you gonna sleep once the kids are here?"

"What do you mean? I'll have a room, Petey will have a room and you and Cotton can sha-"

"Hold it! Nope. Not happening."

"Why not?"

Judy interrupted. "Because she's a teenager. Trust me, as a rabbit, I know the importance of having privacy at that age."

Nick gave the room situation some more thought. "Maybe Cotton and Petey can have bunk beds?"

Spots imitated Cotton. _"Daddy! Why is Petey's pee-pee so different from mine?_ Also, girls are very different from boys and they would just get on each others' nerves."

"UGH! Fine! You, Spots and Petey each get a room while I sleep on the couch! A millionaire and I have to sleep on the couch."

Judy was chuckling. This frustrated Nick. "Don't laugh Carrots. You're gonna be a couch sleeper too, little miss 'one room'."

Spots spoke up. "Well actually, why don't you get two bunk beds for Petey's room and Michael can sleep there?"

Judy was excited. "That's a great idea! Him and Petey get along now so if Michael needs help in the middle of the night, Petey can be there for him!"

"Yeah!" Spots added. "And if you two ever...rekindle your looove, you'll have your own apartment! Just give us some extra keys and.."

"No." Nick said sternly.

"But dad! It makes the most.."

"I..SAID...NO!"

Judy was getting upset. "Why the hell not?!"

"Because we arejust good friends. We are NOT a couple! Yeah, we may be again in the future, who knows? But the fact is if we have them share a room, it's like we're telling them their brothers. They are going to bond. What happens if it doesn't work out between us and we go our separate ways? You think little Mike's psyche' is messed up now? He'll be completely heartbroken if we split apart."

"That would happen regardless." Judy added. "Mike and Cotton are already sweet on each other and him and Petey are already best friends! They'll be hanging out here every day!"

"Y'know what your problem is dad?" Spots added. "You're so negative all the time! You always look for the worst possible scenario instead of being hopeful."

"I'm being realistic." He argued.

"No, you're being pessimistic!"

"Only because every time really good things happen to me, bad things follow. 'Nick Wilde Day' in Little Rodentia was followed up by the bowling game where Ben and Terry got together and Judy and finally kissed in front of our friends, followed by a wonderful, if not tiring night of love making, followed by a wonderful first day in Bunnyburrow, followed by me adopting Cotton. That's just too much happiness not for something to go wrong. So, after another _incredible_ night of love-making, we end up breaking up, then we find out about killer hawks eating elderly, young and disabled bunnies and finally, Judy forgets she's a cop and blows a perps head clean off!"

"WILL YOU LAY OFF ME ABOUT THAT?!" Judy cried. "Your daughter attacked you today and you forgave her instantly and got her treatment. I murder a child killer and get #$% on! I have PTSD too! It happened the moment I saw that bastard chop the little bunny girl's head off and then almost killed my son! Where's _my_ forgiveness?! Where's _my_ support?! Spots said she had nightmares? So did I for the past two nights!"

Nick was stunned. "..Carrots."

She started to sniffle. "You know what else? I'm sick and tired of you blaming the fate of the world on your unhappiness! _SNIFF!_ Y-You're just like so many people I know! Things go wrong, you blame everyone else but yourself! _You're_ the one who proposed to me! _You're_ the one who started demanding we stay in Bunnyburrow and become sheriff and deputy! You still, _still_ keep blaming the system for all of your problems! But look what happened when you applied yourself. 'Nick Wilde Day'! That's what happened. I didn't just blame everyone when things didn't go my way, I worked even harder than before! So get your head out of your ass and take some responsibility for yourself!"

Nick got up into the sobbing bunny's face. "You know what?!"

"WHAT?!" Judy said with tears streaming down her face.

"You're absolutely right!"

There was a moment of stunned silence. Nick flopped onto the couch.

"You're right Carrots. Things stopped going my way and I slipped back into what I always do. I blamed the system and fate instead of myself. _SIGH!_ Why can't I be happy with what I have instead of looking for the worst possible outcome?!"

"Cuz you're a jerk?" Spots added.

Nick chuckled. "Yes sweetie, I'm a jerk." Then turned his attention back to Judy. "I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't know you were having nightmares. I guess it didn't help when Michael said he hated you."

Judy looked away. "No. No it didn't."

Nick put his paw on her shoulder. "Judy...you _are_ a real cop. When life comes crashing down on you, you keep fighting no matter what! You never quit. And...while what you did to the hawk was horrible...it's not unforgivable. You were traumatized at the time and I should have been more understanding."

"Annnd?" Judy asked.

"Nick chuckled. "And...I forgive you. Do you forgive me?"

"YES!" She jumped into his arms and gave him a huge hug. "So...does this mean we're partners again?"

"Nope!" Nick said with a smile.

Judy was confused. "No? Why not?"

"I have a very good reason. You'll just have to wait until the next chapter to find out."

"Stupid fourth wall jokes!" Judy grumbled.


	8. Chapter 8: Preds for Peace Pride

Chapter 8: Preds for Peace / Pride

 **Tuesday, 6:25pm**

Terry Fangmeyer and Benjamin Clawhauser were shopping in a fancy department store just before getting ready for the parade.

"Ben sweetie, why don't you look for a nice shirt to wear?"

"Okay, but his place usually only has my size in 'hippo'!"

While they separated, Terry rushed over to the jewelry department. She was tense and kept looking over her shoulder to make sure Ben was far enough away.

"Excuse me!" She said to the lady vixen behind the counter.

"Hello! What can I interest you in today?"

"I'm going to propose to my boyfriend and I wanted to look at some engagement rings!"

"Oooh! Aren't we progressive! How long how you two been dating?"

Terry was a bit embarrassed at this question. "Ummm...errr...to be honest, four days."

"...What?"

"BUT!...We've been co-workers for three years and have always flirted back and fourth. We just...love love y'know? Also, he's letting me move in with him, but he's kinda both progressive and traditional at the same time and he won't mate with me until we're married and it's driving me nuts! He wants us to sleep in separate rooms for cryin' out loud!"

"Okay honey, I gotcha. Let me show you the 'I'm rushing into a serious commitment because I'm horny' models. "

"Just...shut up and show me the rings."

 **Meanwhile...**

"Let me explain, fluff." Nick began. "When we first started together, being your partner was what drove me. My dream was just to follow and support your dream, but lately you've inspired me! You've inspired me not to just be more than a fox, but to follow my own dreams and my biggest dream right now is to bring peace to this city and help make a better world for predators and prey alike. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy being a cop, but I want to be even more! As I told Spots, I want to be the chief! I want to be the mayor! Maybe even the president of the United Plains! I know it sounds ridiculous..."

"No it doesn't!" Judy replied. She sat up with excitement."Nick, you can be anything you want and...and if I'm inspiring you to have goals even bigger than mine, well that's wonderful! I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks fluff. I want to impress Bogo with some solo assignments he has planned for me, plus I'm sure Clawhauser will make a great partner for you. Oh! And speaking of plans, there's an idea I've had kicking around in my brain I wanted to bring up with you two!"

"What is it?" Spots asked.

"I call it 'Preds for Peace'! It's a community outreach program that lets good preds like me and Spots help protect prey from attacks by other predators. There'd be patches to hand out that members can wear, an app to let them report any suspicious activity to the ZPD and more! I want to show this city that predators can do much more good than harm. I'd have to set up some kind of charity account to get donations for the project."

"You can try Patronize!" Spots suggested. "That's a online form of donation making."

Judy rubbed her chin. "I dunno. It sounds like it could be twisted to look like it's vigilantism or some kind of militia."

"It's not that at all!" Nick argued.

"I know! I just want to make sure you cover all your bases if you do this. That said...go for it! Think positive and stay positive! You can do this Red!"

"You really think so? Cuz I _have_ given it some serious thought."

"I know so! EVERYONE said bunnies couldn't be cops. Now look at me! All that adversity kept pushing against me and I kept pushing back until I made my dream happen. The one thing that kept me going is that I stayed positive. I told myself I WAS gonna be a real cop no matter what and I believed in myself enough to make it happen. You can do this! It WILL happen!"

Nick gave her another warm smile and a hug. "Thanks Fluff! That's exactly what I needed to hear." He turned his attention to Spots. "Will you help me put this together?"

"Hell yeah!" The hyena said. "I think it's a great idea!"

"Thanks! Now let's get ready for that parade!"

"I just wish the kids could be here for this." Judy said.

"Yeah. I'm gonna take them around tomorrow, but this place just isn't secure enough to keep them safe in case that 'purge' thing happens."

Miss Logan appeared from the hallway. The door to the apartment was still open. "AIN'T SECURE ENOUGH?!"

"Miss Logan!" Judy replied. "What are you doing here?"

"I JUST CAME BY AT AN INCREDIBLY CONVENIANT TIME! THIS PLACE IS PLENTY SECURE! IT HAS EXTRA SECURITY MEASURES! WATCH! JUST CLOSE THE DOOR AND STAY INSIDE!"

Nick shut the door. Moments later, and alarm sounded and a voice came over. "Security drill! Repeat! Security drill! Please close all doors and stay away from the windows!" Moments later, giant iron bars shot across the door and more iron bars covered the windows. Logan's voice came over an intercom above the light switches near the door.

" _SEE? NO ONE CAN GET IN OR OUT! IT'LL KEEP YER KIDS SAFE! ALSO, IT'S A GREAT WAY FOR ME TO EXTORT RENT FROM TENNANTS! I CAN LOCK THEM IN AND WON'T LET THEM OUT UNTIL THEY PAY! HA! I SOMETIMES EVEN TURN OFF THE A/C AND MAKE THEM SWEAT IT OUT!"_

Nick pressed the button on the intercom. "You DO realize me and Judy are cops, right?"

" _...FORGET THOSE LAST TWO THINGS I MENTIONED!"_

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna forget paying the next two months rent."

" _...YA GOT ME!"_

Nick looked over at Judy. "Well Carrots, what do you think? Should I pick up Michael and the kids permanently tomorrow?"

Judy thought it over. "It sounds good, but...I want Mike inside before nightfall! The streets are still too dangerous, but I miss him terribly already and I can't expect your mom to babysit him forever. It's unfair to them."

"I agree. Now let's hurry up and get ready before we're late!"

 **Tuesday, 6:58pm**

Nick was running and pulling Spots by the paw. "Hold up!" The hyena said. "It's hard to run in this thing!" She was wearing her grandmother's black silk dress and running to their spot in the parade as best they could. The ZPD got offered a small float in the parade and Nick decided to march beside it with Spots.

The float was a decent size. Clawhauser, Fangmeyer and some other ZPD officials were riding on top and waving to the crowd. Judy found Bogo and watched with him at the sidelines. It was a colorful crowd full of people with rainbow wigs, pastel shirts and some wearing nothing but speedos. A few took their liberties a bit too far.

"Hey chief! That naked buck is buck naked!"

"You're right! All on-duty officers on me!" Bogo then chased after the perp.

Yax was standing next to Judy. "That's like, lame man! Why can't you just let the dude roam free and be himself? Clothes were like, forced upon us by the mammal to keep us in poverty!"

"Not everyone believes in public nudity like you Yax!"

Meanwhile, a lion family arrived at the parade, massively disappointed.

"Awww rats!" Said the father. "I thought this was supposed to be the pride-pride parade! We're at the wrong parade!"

The son left to join the parade march and threw off his jacket to reveal a rainbow T-shirt. "Not everyone dad!"

"Simba NOO! Get back here! Don't hold that white lion's hand! SIMBAAA!"

As the parade went on, some commentators broadcast-ed the event live on ZTV.

"Hello everyone! We are _live_ at the 13th annual Zootopia gay pride parade! I'm Chester Chipmunk and with me is my broadcasting colleague, Fianna Fawn."

"Out last names are indicative of our species!"

"That's right Fianna! Thank you for that completely pointless observation. Now, as we see the parade going by, some at home might notice some popular gay couples are missing from this parade."

"That's right Chester! Both Bucky and Pronk Pootosser along with Gary and Larry are not at the parade at this time."

"Well Fianna, just because a good chunk of the fanbase considers them gay doesn't mean the author has to. Not that there's anything wrong with either interpretation. He had an epilogue with Bucky and Pronk were we found out they were brothers all along, just foster. Gary and Larry were just bit players in the movie and the author honestly just doesn't have any use for them right now. Anything going on during the parade Fianna?...Fianna?"

"Tee-hee! They're last name is Pootosser! HAHAA!"

"Thank you for being so professional Fianna. Oh! Here comes the ZPD float, honoring their own gay officers."

"As you can see, there's officer Terry Fangmeyer. She was born male but had a sex change operation at age 18. With her is her boyfriend and fellow ZPD officer, Benjamin Clawhauser. Standing on the perch of the float and under a magnifying glass, we can see lesbian mouse officer Melissa Brie. The first mouse officer to patrol the streets of Little Rodentia."

"Now Fianna, back in chapter 3, Judy said that Fangmeyer was the only gay officer in the ZPD. She forgot about Brie! Why did she make such a huge mistake?"

"Judy didn't forget Chester, the author forgot her completely!"

"What a stupid hack!"

"You're telling me!"

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick and Spots were marching along the parade route paw in paw, looking at the others in the crowd. They then saw Miss Logan in the crowd with her niece.

Nick took a good look at the young wolverine. She was hideous. She didn't just have a nose ring like Spots, there was green slime hanging off the ring. She also had ring in her ear, her eyebrow and her lip. It looked like part of her lip may had been missing which gave her a permanent snarl. What was really gross, is that she was digging her claw into her nostril. She pulled out a long, stringy, wet booger.

"EWWW!" Said Nick.

The wolverine then raised it above her head and took a good look at it.

"What is she doing?" Nick asked.

She opened her mouth.

"Oh...oh no! Please don't!"

She ate the booger.

Nick just squirmed. "Eww! EWWW! That's so nasty!"

Spots was in love. "That's...hot!"

"WHAT?!"

"I'm gonna go say hi!"

Nick tried to pull her back, but she managed to yank herself away.

"No! No! Spots! You can do soo much better!...Spots!"

She took off. Nick was defeated. He decided to give her some private space. "If that's who she wants, then that's who she wants." Nick thought. He then looked over and saw two male hippos walking together, hand in hand or...whatever hippos have for hands. He squinted at the one wearing a rainbow wig. He had a chip in his flat tooth that seemed very familiar to him.

"...Officer Higgins?"

 **Meanwhile...**

Spots was nervous. She rubbed her paws as she approached the wolverine. She gently tapped the booger-eater on the shoulder.

"Hi! My name is Lesbian and I'm a spots!"

There was a moment of awkward silence. Spots was completely embarrassed at her blunder.

"I'm...just gonna go now."

Logan stopped Spots. She was standing next to the young wolverine. "HOLD UP! THIS IS MY NIECE LILLY! LILLY! THIS IS SPOTS! SHE'S ONE OF MY TENNANTS! SAY HI!"

"Hey." The young wolverine said.

"SPEAK UP! HOW CAN ANYONE UNDERSTAND YOU WHEN YOU'RE SO QUIET?!"

"I'm not quiet! You're too loud!"

Spots interrupted. "Anyway, I saw you from afar and thought you were um... incredibly gross and repulsive!"

"...What?"

"I-I-I mean..you smell bad?...Look, I'm not sure how these 'reverse compliments' work, I'm trying to say that I find you attractive and I'd like to go out with you!"

"Shut up! You're just making fun of me like everyone else!"

"B-b-but I'm not! Honest!"

"GO AWAY!"

"Wh-What'd I do?" Spots sniffled as she left the wolverine. She left rejected.

 **Moments earlier...**

"Officer Higgins?" Nick asked the hippo.

The hippo was obviously nervous. "I-I-I don't know who you're talking about!"

"C'mon Higs! I'd recognize that chipped tooth anywhere! I thought you were married?"

"He is!" Said the other hippo. "To me! He's just too ashamed to tell his friends. He even has me as 'Harriet' on his resume'. I'm Harry by the way."

Nick shook his hand. "Nick Wilde. So Higs, how some you haven't told anyone you were married to such a handsome hippo!"

Harry giggled. "Thank you!"

Higgins couldn't look at Nick. "You know how those guys are in the locker room!...Besides, what would Trumpet say? He's been my partner and best friend for three years! I'd hate to lose him."

"Do you honestly think he'd be that shallow?"

Higgins shook his head. "I dunno. Just...keep it to yourself for now. Okay?"

"Okay, I won't say a word. But if you need someone to talk to about your marriage or anything, I'll be there for you. Okay?"

The hippo blushed. "Okay. Thanks Wilde."

"I gotta go. Remember, this is a gay _pride_ parade. Emphasis on the 'pride'. Anyway, I'll see you two lovebirds later! Bye!" Nick ran off to meet up with his daughter. Meanwhile, Harry talked to his husband.

"Are you ashamed of me?" Harry asked.

"O-Of course not!"

"Then tell them!"

"I...I don't want to lose them!"

Harry's lip trembled. "If you don't...you may lose me." He let go of Higgins' hand and walked ahead. Higgins stood there in deep thought.

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick caught up with Spots.

"Hey Freckles! Did it go well?"

She put her head on his chest and wept a little. "Sh-She told me to go away!"

"That's teriff..able!"

"Teriffable?!"

"Sorry. Tried to catch my tongue and failed."

"Dad! This parade is all about the freedom to love who you want!"

"That doesn't mean I'm always gonna approve every girl you bring home! That said...I'm...I'm sorry she rejected you. That must've hurt."

"Yeah..." At that moment a leopard ran by, shoving Nick down and brushed past Spots.

"Hey!"

"OUTTA MY WAY!"

 **Moments Earlier...**

"WHY WERE YA SO MEAN TO THE HYENA LILLY?!" Miss Logan asked. She didn't understand why her niece would reject Spots so fast.

"She was just tryin' ta make fun of me! Just like the kids at school. I bet her friends told her to flirt with me."

"SHE JUST MOVED HERE FROM BUNNYBURROW! SHE AINT GOT NO FRIENDS!"

"No?!...Oh no! I'm so stup-" The young wolverine was shoved down by the leopard. "Hey!"

The leopard ran past everyone and leaped onto the ZPD float. He did a sweep kick to knock down Terry and Ben. He then grabbed Brie.

"Death to the prey and queer-loving ZPD!"

"You put her down now!" Shouted Terry as she started to rise.

The leopard held the struggling Brie above his mouth. "Nah-Ah-Ah! One more step and she's my dinner!"

"Hey guys?!" Brie shouted. "I could really use some backup!"

Before Nick could get up, Spots threw her crutch away and made a running leap for the leopard. Nick started to get up as she grabbed the leopard's arm and bit down.

"YEEEOOWW!" The leopard threw Brie through the air and into the crowd. Nick made a running leap and managed to catch Brie before she hit the ground.

He watched as the leopard struggled with Spots on his back (no pun intended). She was still biting his shoulder.

"Get off me FAG!" He shouted.

Nick's heart raced. _"Oh no! The trigger words! She might kill that leopard!"_

For a moment, Spots pupils narrowed. "What'd you call me?!" She heard the voices from the past again, only a new one came through.

" _Get off me FAG!"_

" _Off me FAG!"_

" _FAG!"_

" _I'm here, princess."_

Spots snapped out of it. She flipped the leopard over and pinned him to the ground. Terry and Ben got their dart guns aimed at the leopard as Judy ran over to the float.

"That's MISS fag to you!"

The crowd cheered for Spots. The nearby mice cheered for Nick.

"Hooray for Nick Wilde! The hero of all mice! He saved officer Brie just like he saved our city!"

"Well, it was Spots that saved her guys. I just caught her."

"You hear that fellas? How modest is this guy?! Hooray for Nick!"

"PREDS FOR PEACE!" Spots shouted. Making the crowd cheer even more.

Bogo and the other nearby ZPD started to come over. "Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah! We're fine!" Said Clawhauser.

As Terry cuffed the leopard, she fell over and seemed to have hurt her ankle. "OW! My ankle! I think I twisted it!"

Ben panicked. "Terry sweetie! Are you okay?!" He stood in front of her as she was trying to get up on one knee.

Just then, she pulled out a small box from her back pocket. "GOTCHA!"

Clawhauser was shocked. "Terry! Are you doing what I think you're doing?!"

She pulled the box open to reveal a ring. "Benny sweetheart, I love you so much! I know we've only been together for four days, but I've spent the last three years at work getting to know you, sharing jokes and donuts, obsessing over _other_ people's relationships, but most of all you've accepted me for who I am! You don't treat me like a transsexual, you treat me like a woman!"

She started to tear up. "Benjamin Clawhauser, will you marry me?"

The leopard interrupted. "I got a better question! Will you get your knee off my #$%ing shoulder?!"


	9. Chapter 9: Their First Date

Chapter 9: Their First Date

 **Tuesday, 7:35pm**

"Benjamin Clawhauser, will you marry me?"

Ben was in stunned silence. Nick leaned over to talk to Judy. "Somebody get her some Alligator-ade cuz that cat be thirsty!"

Judy was worried. "I know I suggested SHE be the one to propose, but this is still WAY too soon!"

Ben picked up the ring. "It's...dark gold with tiny sprinkle-like jewels encrusted all over!"

"It's like a chocolate doughnut with sprinkles! I picked them out especially for you! So what do you say, darling?"

"I...I..." This was so sudden and soon for him. He looked out at the crowd. His friends nearby waiting in anticipation. _"I shouldn't decide now!"_ He thought. _"Maybe if I ask for a raincheck?"_

Then, he saw her. Among the crowd cheering him on was his mother. She looked so happy for him. A huge smile lit upon her face with eyes that were starting to tear. He couldn't let her down. He couldn't let Terry down as well. Although she was rushing into things, he loved her dearly. He'd loved her from the first moment she leaned on his counter and started up a chat with him. Oh sure, he was obsessed with Gazelle, but all that ever was, was an infatuation, nothing more. He knew this was the gal he wanted to share the rest of his life with. (He also knew that he really needed someone to live with because the rent was _killing_ him.)

"I do! I-I mean, YES!"

The crowd cheered. Terry cried tears of joy as she hugged her new fiance' tightly and kissed him all over his face. Ben saw his mother in the crowd weeping tears of joy as well.

It was at this time that officer Higgins finally decided to come out of the closet. He climbed up on top of the float. Bogo was a bit concerned.

"Errr...Higgins? I don't think that can take your weight!"

"Nonsense sir!" Higgins got to the top and got on the bullhorn. "If I can have your attention everyone! MY name is officer Raymond Higgins and I'm gaaAAAHH!"

Higgins fell about a foot down and was now standing on the bed of the truck that was carrying the float. "Well, that was a bit embarrassing. Anyway...First I wanted to say congratulations to the newly engaged couple, officers Clawhauser and Fangmeyer!"

The crowd cheered. "Also,,,I have an apology to make. I'm...I'm gay. I've been hiding it from my co-workers for quite some time now. It's just...they're such a rough and tough bunch of guys that I didn't know how they'd feel about me! But it's not fair for me to keep doing that and it's not fair to them either, so I'd like to take this time to apologize to my entire team, especially my partner, officer Trumpet. I just hope he still wants to work with me"

Higgins started to tear up. "But most of all...most of all, I'd like to apologize to my husband of five years, Harry Higgins! Harry darling, I should have come clean long ago! As a good friend told me earlier, this is a gay pride parade and it's about damn time I showed my pride!"

Ben and Terry managed to get Raymond off the truck. Bogo patted him on the back as Harry rushed over to embrace and kiss his husband.

Nick couldn't help but smile at the whole event. He knew he had helped Higgins finally be himself and it made him feel great. What didn't make him feel so great was seeing Spots happily limp over to him paw in paw with the booger-eating wolverine.

"Dad! This is Lilly! Her nickname is 'Snot'! Snot and Spots! Isn't that perfect?"

" _Wonderful."_ Nick said in a tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Anyway, it was all a misunderstanding. She apologized and wants to take me to the movies! Can I go dad? PLEASE! Can I?!"

Nick sighed. This girl disgusted him, but he wanted to see his daughter happy. "Sure honey."

"YES! Let's go Snot!" She started to run off with the wolverine. Nick shouted back.

"Just be home by eleven! And no hanky-panky! You hear me?! I'll be sniffing your butt when you get home!"

"Okay dad!" She trailed off as she ran away.

Just then Judy tapped Nick on the shoulder. "It's hard to let them go, hunh?"

"Especially when I've only had her for two days. _SIGH!_ Think she'll be okay?"

"Oh I'm sure of it! She's smart, responsible and tough! She'll be fine!"

Nick gave another warm smile to Judy. "So, if you don't have any plans for tonight, wanna pick up some pizza and watch something on Hitflix?"

Judy's ears turned beat red and she started to act bashfully. "I was thinking...maybeee...we could go on a date?"

Nick's ears shot up so fast, they almost flew off of his head. "Really?!"

"Yeah! I was thinking, we took our relationship WAAAY too fast last time. We just went from best friends to kissing without any dating or taking things slow. I don't wanna be like Terry and jump in too fast."

"I hear ya. What kind of idiot proposes after being with someone for such a short time?" Nick said with a sly grin on his face.

"A huge, stupid idiot named Nick." Judy replied. "Anyway, I thought maybe we could just...y'know, start again and take things slower?"

"I'd like that." Nick replied.

"Sooo..you up for it? I know a nice place we can eat. My treat!"

"Ooooh no! You are not buying the millionaire dinner. I'll treat. You just name the place."

" 'Fish and Flora' on third street. You can have your meat and I can have a nice salad. Sound good?"

"Sounds great!" Nick said. "Let's go!"

They walked off arm and arm. Nick couldn't help but notice how fast things were going again.

"Sunday, we were at each others throats. Two days later and we're on a date."

"I guess we just have a hard time staying mad at each other." Judy replied.

 **Tuesday, 8:05pm**

The parade was over and everyone started to go their separate ways. Bogo and some of the ZPD officers congratulated Ben and Terry and Ben's mother gave the tiger a huge hug.

"Now you take very good care of my boy!" Mrs. Clawhauser said. "He's sweet, but very naive and I worry for him."

"Don't worry ma'am! I'll take great care of him."

"And for the love of litter, get him in the sack already! My boy's just too innocent for his age! Make a mammal out of him! In the meantime, I'll go back and check on that...other thing." She said with a wink.

"Okay 'mom'. Thanks for everything!"

Terry met back up with Clawhauser. "Soo where should we go to celebrate?" The fat cheetah asked.

Terry puzzled it over. "How about pizza and some games at 'Chunky Sneezers', followed by watching a movie back at your place?"

As juvenile as it sounds, Clawhauser loved it. "That's perfect! I can show you my skeeball skills!"

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick and Judy arrived at the "Fish and Flora" restaurant. The waiter found them a table and they both sat down. They were getting stares. Both from before they arrived at the restaurant and during. With prey/pred tensions high, seeing a prey/pred couple just infuriated some.

Judy was getting a bit upset. "We weren't even holding hands! What? We can't even be close friends?"

"Don't let it bother you." Nick replied. "People like that are just set in their ways. That's why I want to do programs like 'Preds for Peace' to help them understand better."

" _Somebody's_ got a more positive attitude." Judy remarked.

"Well, there's a certain bunny who's good at spreading it...like a disease."

The waiter arrived with a disgusted look on his face. "What can I get for...you two tonight?"

Nick was a bit pissed that the waiter didn't even bother to introduce himself or make small talk. "You must get a lot of huge tips with _that_ charm. We'll have your best wine please. I'll have the salmon with potato salad and what will you have Fluff?"

"I'll have the carrot salad with a side of garlic bread."

The waiter wrote down everything. "We'll have it ready for you soon." He then turned and left.

"Real chatterbox, that one." Nick said.

"Well...maybe he's had a long day."

Nick just smiled at Judy. "Sooo miss Hopps, what can you tell me about yourself?"

"Well, Mr. Wilde, I work for the ZPD as a police officer and up until recently had a fox for a partner."

"You don't say? Can you describe this guy for me?"

"He's tall, very handsome, a bit childish at times. A real joker, but otherwise a very kindhearted fox. We were...involved for a very short time."

"Oh? What happened?"

"He rushed into things too fast. We went and visited my parents and he fell in love with the town I was raised in. It didn't help that my dad was pushing him on marrying me when we've only been together for a very short time. He ended up proposing to me and wanting me to move back home, which was pretty much the exact opposite of what I wanted. I left home to pursue my dreams. I have no desire to go back and stay there."

"Sounds like a nice guy who made a foolish mistake."

Judy smiled. "Yeah...Crazy thing, we ended up leaving my home town with children!"

"No kiddin'?!" Nick said with a smile.

"Yeah! It's a parting gift they give you as you leave. I took one child, but the fox got greedy and took three!"

They both started laughing.

"It's amazing how one weekend can completely change your life." Nick mused.

"Yeah." Judy replied. "God! I miss Michael so much! Is that weird? I just adopted him Sunday, but now...I have this bond with him and don't wanna let him go!"

"It's not weird at all. I couldn't let go of Cotton the day I got her and now, I've got a teenage daughter and a son. That feels so incredible to say! I have two daughters a son! Me!"

"Well Mr. Wilde, if you keep playing your cards right, you may end up with another son someday. An even two for two."

"Why? Are you gonna dump him on me?"

"Only when I go to work." Judy chuckled.

There was a moment of silence as they sipped their water, waiting for their meal to arrive. Then Nick spoke up. "I..I have an idea. Obviously, I'm terrible at this proposal stuff, so if the time ever comes when our relationship is going so well, either one of us might consider y'know, 'the M word', YOU be the one to ask."

"So you want ME to propose?" Judy asked.

"Well, not right now!" Nick chuckled. "But yeah, the ball's in your court. This way, I don't screw up again."

"Sounds like a good plan." Judy replied. "But...I want it to be because we love each other strong enough to warrant it. Not because our kids are pressuring us to."

"Right. Although considering you got me to let _your_ son share a room with _my_ son, their may be some pressure from them no matter what. Spots is already pressuring me."

"Spots wants me to be her mom?"

"Yup."

"I'm only like...eleven years older than her! I can see her like a little sister, but I'd have some trouble seeing her as a daughter."

"So think of her as a little sister then and for now, be her friend. I think that's how she sees you currently."

"Hmm...that's how you should approach Bobby. As a little brother instead of a stepdad."

"Good idea! Great one in fact. I want my mom to be happy and if mating someone half her age makes her happy, then I support them. _SIGH!_ Am I gonna have to change my name to Nick Catmull?!"

"I don't think that's how it works." Judy replied. Just then, their wine and food arrived.

"Here you are." Said the waiter. "Grilled Salmon with potato salad and a carrot salad with garlic bread. Enjoy!"

Judy eyed her salad. "It all looks so good!"

"Smells good too!" Nick replied. Then something caught the corner of his eye. On Judy's salad, there was some sort of white glob.

Nick stopped Judy before she could dip her fork in. "Hold up Carrots. Did you order any dressing on your salad?"

"No. Why?"

Nick eyeballed his own meal. There, in with the yellow globs of potato was a white glob as well. One he could barely see.

" _F#$% my life."_ He thought. He got angry. His nostrils flared as he breathed in and out through them at a quickening pace.

Judy looked concerned. "Nick, what's wrong?"

"They spat in our food." He got up out of his chair and yelled across the dining room. "THEY SPAT IN OUR FOOD!"

Judy was shocked. She started to weep a little. "We're only dating! Can't we just be happy together?!"

Nick walked over to the waiter. "I wanna see the owner RIGHT NOW!"

"I _am_ the owner sir...and I'd appreciate you not yelling."

Nick was livid. "Look buddy, I'm trying to reconcile my relationship with my friend here only for you or one of your staff to drop two loogies on our plate! You guys got a problem with a fox and a hare being in a relationship, you keep it to yourself!"

The owner/waiter didn't even bat an eye. "If you have a problem with our service.. _sir._.you and the hare can leave. In fact, we'd be glad if you did."

"We're not leaving..." Judy said. " _You're_ leaving! In cuffs!" She then showed her badge and Nick showed his.

"Y-You can't arrest me! What proof do you have that it was one of us?"

"We can test the plates down at the ZPD lab." Judy remarked.

Nick looked over at her. "Keep chewing him out Judy, I got a call to make."

Judy ranted and raved. "We're gonna have the health inspector down on your ass! How dare you! How DARE you!"

After a few minutes of chewing the owner out, Nick stopped Judy. "We're gonna lock you up for months! And...and.."

"That's enough Carrots. Nobody's gonna lock up anyone."

"What?"

Nick looked at the waiter with a sly grin. "Well, I got good news and bad news for you and your staff. The good news is, you're not going to jail. I won't charge you on the food-spitting. The bad news is, I talked to the property owner and it seems that while you have been paying the lease, you forgot to renew your contract on the building. Soooo, I put down a nice chunk of change and guess who owns the building and restaurant with it?...ME! Also...you're all fired!"

The owner was nervous. "Y-Y-You lie! You have no proof of that!"

"Call him." Nick said.

Minutes later, the owner was panicking on the phone. "But...but..Mr. Hayseed! Just let me sign! Mr. Hayseed?!...DAMMIT!"

The badger/former owner got off the phone. "You prey-loving filth! You cost me my business!"

"Get out or we'll have you arrested." Judy said.

"You ain't heard the last of me!" Said the badger as he left. Just then the cook, an ugly boar leaped at Nick with a butcher knife. "YOU COST ME MY JOB!"

"NICK! LOOK OUT!" Judy screamed. Nick was in control. As the boar raised the knife, Nick grabbed his arm and slammed him onto a table, pinning him down.

"Your table's ready sir!"

"Get off me you stuuuu..." The boar went into unconsciousness. Nick was confused until he saw Judy. She was in panic mode and had fired the dart gun into the boar. She was shaking and still trying to fire the empty gun. The incident with Skinner the hawk still greatly affecting her.

"Judy! Awww Carrots!" He went over and hugged her. She wept into his chest.

"I-I-I'm still not well. When he came at you with the butcher knife...it was just like..."

"I know Fluff. I know."

"I need help."

"You'll get it tomorrow. I'll be there to support you. Okay?"

" _SNIFF!_ Okay."

Another cook came out. A short pig. "Did Tusken really spit on your food?"

"Afraid so." Said Nick.

"I'm so sorry!" He looked over the plates. "No, NO! I worked hard on these! I had them just right!"

Judy interrupted. "They were beautifully prepared...with the exception of the loogies of course."

"Thank you. My name's Jeff Porkins."

"Sounds slightly familiar." Nick noted.

"I was cooking here as an understudy. I'm studying to become a master chef. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault." Nick noted. "In fact, why don't I give you my number? I haven't decided what I'm gonna do with this place, but when I do, I could really use a good chef."

"Really? Thanks!"

Some of the customer's were getting impatient. "Hey! Can we have our check?"

"Keep it!" Nick replied. "Dinner's on the house. In fact, for the next hour, drinks are on me!"

The customers cheered.

Judy gave Nick a reminder. "Nick, you don't have a license to serve alcohol."

"...Desserts are on me!"

 **Tuesday, 9:15pm**

The patrons had left. Officer Delgato came and hauled off Tusken. They had the place all to themselves. Porkins stayed behind and re-cooked their food. It was lovingly prepared. The restaurant was closed and the lights were turned off to keep any other patrons away. Judy and Nick had their dinner by candlelight.

Judy was pleased. "Well, Mr. Wilde, I gotta say, you certainly know how to make an exciting evening!"

Nick stared into her violet eyes. "Well you know what they say, 'Money can't buy you happiness'. Only in this case, it did. Very much so."

He then thought it over. "It's also...powerful...and can ruin lives. I ruined two lives today. Judy...did I...did I do the right thing?"

"Red, you stood up to Bigotry. Whether you bought the place or not, that owner ended his career the moment when he allowed the cook to spit in your food!"

"He ordered him to!" Porkins said. "I overheard them. I'm sorry, I couldn't do anything for fear of being fired. I begged Tusken not to. I work very hard to make sure those dishes are perfect"

"It's okay." Nick replied. "I can't use you for awhile, so why don't you help yourself to whatever's in the register?"

"Really?!" The pig squealed with delight. "Oh thank you sir!"

Judy warned Nick again. "Nick? That's today's income. You'll need it for tax purposes!"

Nick rolled his eyes. "UGH! I'm no good at this 'restaurant-owning' stuff! Jeff, just...take whatever you want out of the kitchen."

"Oh boy! Children's placemats and crayons, here I come!"

Judy was surprised. "Oh! You have children?"

"...Yes?... _SIGH!_ No ma'am, I just like to color."


	10. Chapter 10: Living The High Life

Chapter 10: Living The High Life

 **Tuesday, 9:30pm**

Ben drove Terry back to his place only to be surprised by movers being there already. They had a few crates of Terry's belongings.

"Wh-What's going on?!" Ben asked.

"I...got a little impatient." Terry admitted.

"There are strangers going in and out of my place! Who's supervising this?!"

"Your mom. She's right there!"

Clawhauser saw his mom waving at him.

"..I think you just broke any speed records I ever had at the academy!"

Terry was a little embarrassed. "Heh, heh. Sorry. Don't worry, I only have four crates. By the way, I LOVE your mom! She's the sweetest thing!"

"She's also been on my case to settle down and get married for the past ten years."

When they got to the door, Terry couldn't help but notice how tall and enormous the door was.

"It's so huge! How do you reach the door knob?"

"I don't! We go through this flap over here." Ben pointed to the large, black, rubber flap at the bottom of the door that the movers were going in and out of. "It has it's own shutter so you can lock it at night. You find things inside are real large as well."

"Why?"

"My former roommate was a giraffe."

As they went inside, Terry couldn't believe her eyes. "I can barely see the ceiling! The rent on this place must be enormous!"

"I'd say it's through the roof but sometimes, I can't see the roof! Mom helps pay for the rent."

Terry nudged him on the ribs. "No wonder you wanted me to move in! You're gonna need help with the rent on a place like this!"

"Hey now! You asked me first, remember?"

"I remember, my sweet fluffball!" She gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Oh wow! Look at the size of the couch!"

"I know right? Whenever I sit in it, I feel like a little kitten! Just be careful of the back. It's not just your change that can get lost back there. I was once trapped for three days! Luckily a lot of snacks find their way back there or I'd have starved to death."

"That's the last of it!" The movers said. Mrs. Clawhauser gave them a nice tip and they left.

"Thanks mom!" Terry said. "But what's this other crate?"

"Just a few things I got extra for you two! Oh, and c'mere!"

Terry walked over and Ben's mom whispered into her ear. "I also got some testosterone medication you can put in his drink and some 'Cheetah Heat' perfume."

Terry looked a little concerned. "Well...thank you, but I want his attraction to me to be physical and emotional! Not chemical."

"Suit yourself, but it may be awhile before you get anywhere with him. My Benny can be very traditional. I taught him good morals, but I think I may have taught him a little TOO well for his own good."

The movers and Ben's mom left. It was just Terry and Ben alone.

"So!" "Terry said. "Our first night alone...together."

"Y-Yeah!" Ben said nervously. "Let me show you to your room."

Terry's ears drooped. "Can't your room and my room be the same?"

"Well, yes! In a few months. In the meantime, check this out!" They went through another flap into Terry's new room. It was the giraffe's old room. The bed was large enough that you had to take a small stepladder to climb on.

But that wasn't the most impressive thing. The ceiling to the room went up about 30 feet high, with shelves and bookcases spiraling upwards. What was in the center of the room shocked Terry the most.

"It's a eucalyptus tree...in my room?!" Terry shouted.

"I know, isn't it neat?! Geoffrey hated getting up for a midnight snack, so he had a tree put in his room to munch on."

Terry couldn't resist. "I...I wanna climb it!"

"Be careful! It's really tall!" Ben warned. Moments later, Terry was high in the tree. The leaves hiding her from sight.

"Benny?" She yelled down.

"Yes, honey?"

"I CAN'T GET DOWN!" She screamed.

"WHAT?!"

"I climbed too high and I'm afraid I'll fall!"

"Terry honey! There's a giant bed right here! Just jump onto that!"

"I'm afraid I'll miss!"

"Hold on! I'll climb up. Go down a few branches and meet me halfway!"

Clawhauser climbed the tree as best he could. He ended up meeting with Fangmeyer on one branch. He then made the mistake of looking down.

"You're okay honey! We'll just...OH MY GOSH! WE'RE SO DANG HIGH!"

Terry started to tear up. "W-What are we gonna do?"

"We'll...we'll just have to drop onto the bed. It's more than large enough to cushion our fall."

"Benjamin J. Clawhauser, I am not moving from this..."

They heard the branch starting to snap. "Uh-Oh." The branch broke and down they fell.

And up they came. Ben was right. The bed not only broke their fall, but made for a fun trampoline.

"WHEEE!" Terry shouted.

"THIS IS AWESOME!" Ben shouted back.

"Check out my elbow dropping technique!" Terry shouted as she slammed onto the bed and bounced back up.

"CANNONBALL!" Ben shouted as he curled himself up and bounced off the large mattress. The weight of the two of them smashing together was starting to make the middle of the frame crack as they kept landing near the center.

"Tag-Team slam!" Terry shouted and she grabbed Ben and they slammed into the bed, which broke the box springs. It split the bed down the middle and the two laid there slightly pinched together.

"Well that was a fun ride, but now look what happened!" Clawhauser said. "What a disaster!"

"It's okay dear. At least I won't be able to turn in my sleep!"

Since they were pinched together, she hugged him close. "I kinda like this." She noted.

Ben's ears turned beet red. "Y-Yeah! Me too!"

They kissed for a while, but then Terry started to laugh uncontrollably.

"What's so funny?!" Ben asked.

"We...HEE-HEE! We haven't been together in this place for an hour and we already broke the bed!"

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick and Judy arrive back at the apartment complex. They are walking down the hallway together.

"So...what the heck are you gonna do with a restaurant?" Judy asked.

"Not sure yet." Nick mulled. "I guess for now, it can be a 'Preds for Peace' meeting place but after that, who knows?"

"If only you knew someone who..." Judy and Nick then looked at each other. "GIDEON!"

"That's perfect Carrots! He's been talking about wanting his own bakery!"

"You can talk to him at the wedding!" Judy replied. "Although...how's he gonna move his family here? They adopted a TON of kids and they live under my father's roof, rent free currently."

"Well, I own the building and there's a hotel on top of it I can convert...Geez! I really shouldn't have bought that place! I'm gonna lose tons of money on it if I'm not careful. I bought a building just to SPITE someone. Sometimes, I think I'm not meant to be a millionaire."

"Stay positive!" Judy said. "You'll make it work out! You'll just have to make Gideon your business partner and maybe convert that hotel into his home...If he's up for it. OR...maybe he'll want to franchise and that will just be a bakery he can manage from a distance OR you can lease the place to a new owner. Things will work out!"

Nick smiled at Judy. "You're right again, Fluff! Wanna come in for coffee?"

"Sure." They walked into Nick's place to find Spots already sitting on the couch and watching T.V. She was weeping a little.

Nick was a little surprised. "Hey freckles. You home early?"

" _SNIFF!_ I'm never dating again! Snot was horrible!"

Judy hopped over and gave the hyena a sympathetic hug. "You and that...booger girl looked so happy together. What happened?"

"Let's just say her nostrils aren't the only holes she likes to dig her fingers in."

Nick was furious. "That dirty little..."

"Relax dad! I took care of it."

"What do you mean?! Tell me everything!"

"We were sitting in the back row of the theater, watching 'Action Jackal' and we started kissing and making out a little. She started putting her hands under my clothes. If she started going up north, I wouldn't have minded as much, but..."

"I would have!" Nick said.

"DAAD! _SIGH!_ Instead, she went south. When I felt that, I elbowed her right in her stupid nose ring, dumped my bowl of popcorn on her head and stormed off!"

"Does Miss Logan know?" Nick asked,

"Oh, SHE knows!" Spots replied. "Snot came over and Logan chewed her out good. I never thought that wolverine could get any louder!"

"Well I'm glad to hear that." Nick replied.

Spots started to sniffle. "Every girl I fall for ends in disaster! My _SNIFF!_ My social life is over!"

Judy couldn't help but chuckle.

Spots was upset. "Don't laugh!"

"Spots honey, you're fourteen! You've got your whole life ahead of you. You haven't even started high school yet! You'll find someone. I'm sure of it!"

"Judy's right Freckles. Besides, we're going to Gideon's wedding in a month and Rose will be there! She did finally forgive you."

"I can't EVER be with her again! Not after I scratched her face apart! I don't deserve it!"

"What you did to her was not from your temper, but from PTSD. You tried to do the same to me."

"That's no excuse!" She cried.

Judy spoke up. "NO, it's not, but it's not completely your fault. I had a PTSD attack during my date with Nick tonight. A chef tried to attack him with a butcher knife and..."

Spots stopped her. "Woah! WOAH! Wait a minute! You two went on a date?!"

"Yup." Nick said with pride. "She asked ME out!"

"No way! That's so awesome!" Spots sour attitude took a complete 180. "I _TOLD_ you it was gonna happen dad! Didn't I tell you?!"

Nick rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. You told me."

Spots was bouncing on the couch joyfully. She then grabbed Judy and gave her a big squeeze. "You just watch! You'll be my momma someday!"

"Hey now! That's a LONG way off if at all! Me and Nick are taking it slow this time. We'll be dating quite a while before things get serious."

"Besides..." Nick added. "We made an agreement. SHE has to propose to _me_ when she's ready. This way I don't screw things up again."

Spots turned her attention to Judy. "Well don't take too long deciding, hare-brain! Don't forget, I'll be the one babysitting Michael. Plus, he's gotten VERY attached to Cotton and Petey!"

She then feigned sadness. "The two bunnies are gonna share a room together! If you find someone else and split them apart.. _SNIFF!_...He'll be so devastated!"

"Oh please! At worst, we'll still be best friends, I'm sure."

Nick jumped in. "So you and this other fella who isn't me are just gonna stay at this apartment complex for the next ten years so Michael doesn't miss his friends?"

"Look!..I...Ummm...Can we just cross that bridge when we come to it?!"

Spots chuckled. "Okay Miss H, but you're just fighting the inevitable!"

Nick looked at the clock. "Speaking of the inevitable, time to get to bed. I wanna hit the road and pick up the kids as early as I can. We got a lot to do!"

Judy stretched. "Yeeah! I gotta get to work in the morning. I'll see you guys tomorrow night. Make sure Michael's well taken care of!"

"Walk you to your door?" Nick asked.

"Walk me three feet? Sure."

Judy opened her apartment door and Nick tried to walk inside with her.

"Excuse me? Where do you think you're going?"

"Well, since our relationship is on the mend, I was thinking...we could soften those box springs some more?"

"Oooh No! I don't know what kinda gal you think I am Mr. Wilde, but I don't mate on the first date."

Nick looked disappointed. "Awww!"

"In fact, I think Clawhauser has a good idea! If we have a romance, it should be emotional, not physical, so no sex until I see a ring on this finger."

Nick looked worried. "But, but...YOU'RE the one who has to propose! YOU'RE the one who has to get the rings!"

Judy had a grin a mile wide. "Yup! Which puts ME in the drivers seat! Which is a good thing considering the way you drive. Don't worry, I won't keep you waiting forever. Good night!" She gave him a quick peck on the lips and shut the door behind her.

Nick just whimpered back into his apartment. "Stupid Clawhauser!"

 **Meanwhile...**

"Stupid Clawhauser! Why can't I sleep in your bed? We're engaged!" Terry was upset.

"You can sleep in my bed if you want, honey!" Ben replied. "I'll just sleep on the couch."

Fangmeyer started to cry as she screamed. "GOD DAMMIT BEN! I'm your fiance'! It's not a sin to mate with someone you're going to spend the rest of your life with!"

Ben argued. "Language! Besides, the good book says.."

"The good book says a lot of things honey! Things we don't agree with today, like 'prey should only be for subsistence, not socializing' and 'any male who beds with another male must be put to sleep permanently'. You don't believe in those things do you?!"

"Well...no! Of course not!"

"And let's be honest here...how long have you been committing the sin of gluttony?"

Ben had to be honest with himself. "For a few years now."

"So tell me...what kind of sin is it to bed with the person you are committed to spending the rest of your life with? I can't get pregnant. You won't get a disease from me. There is nothing wrong with us being together! It's not about sex. I just want to be intimate with you. I want to fall asleep with you in my arms! Is that so wrong?"

"Perhaps you're right. First thing tomorrow morning, I'm going to talk to my pastor about this. In the meantime, let's make a compromise. We'll sleep in the same bed..."

"YES!"

"..But!...But, with our underwear on and we'll just spoon."

Terry was pleased. "That's great! Honey, that's all I really wanted!" She gave him a huge hug and a long, drawn out kiss. Ben pulled back when she started using her tongue. "Woah! Okay then! Ummm...I have to go use the little kittens room for a sec. Why don't you get ready for bed?"

"Okay, fluffball!" She left merrily prancing over to Clawhauser's room.

Ben rushed to the bathroom since Terry unknowingly made him aroused. _"I gotta hurry up and finish what she just started!"_ Clawhauser thought to himself. _"Time to put 'Little Benny' to sleep!"_

Moments later, Clawhauser went into his bedroom. There, he saw Terry in silk nightgown with no panties underneath. He was starting to sweat.

"Ummmm...errrr...uhhh..."

"You said to spoon in our underwear. Well, this is my underwear!"

"R-R-Right! Ummm...your bigger than me, soo... _you_ should spoon _me_. I have bigger boobs to play with anyway."

"HEE-HEE! Okay! Now...drop 'em!"

"Here goes nothing!" Clawhauser pulled off his shirt and dropped his pants revealing boxers with donuts all over them.

Terry was a little turned on. "Get over here, my flabby tabby!"

"Okay...but no funny business!"

He climbed in bed and put his back to her. She moved over and he curled up a bit so she could spoon him better. She then started playing with his fat folds.

"Saaay! You do have nice boobs!"

"HEE-HEE! Why thank you!"

"Hee-Hee!" She hugged him tighter and rested her head against his.

Ben loved it. "This _does_ feel really good. I could sleep like this forever."

"Mmmm...Yeah...This is paradise." She snuggled him even tighter. A little too tight.

"Terry, I'm sorry!"

"Why?"

 _FFRRRRRT!_

"BENNY!"

"I warned you way ahead of time that I'm gaseous and you squeezed me too tight!"

"It doesn't smell too bad. It's pungent, but with a sweetness from all those donuts you've been eating. Let's try that again!"

"NO!"

She squeezed him again.

 _FFFFRRRRRRTTT!_

She started laughing hysterically. "Oh my gosh! Hee!-Hee! My little fluffball is like a squeak toy!"

Ben started to giggle. "Now cut that out!"

 _Squeeze._

 _FFFRRRRRTT!_

She was in hysterics. "HAAAHAHAAA! Y-You're like the farting version of the Pawsbury Doughcat!"

They laid there in bed, laughing. Both happier than they've been in their entire lives.


	11. Chapter 11: Decisions, Decisions

Chapter 11: Decisions, Decisions

 **A/N: My original plans for this story should have wrapped the whole thing up by now, but sometimes a story can take an organic feel and starts to write itself in a way you didn't originally intend. Nick and Judy weren't suppose to make up until the "Bats in the Belfry" story, but having them at each others throats just didn't feel right. They're both mature enough that I don't believe they wouldn't keep that up for that long.**

 **If I'm still gonna write my short Christmas Story "Operation: Santa Paws", I'm either gonna have to finish this story up fast or delay it for awhile. The story is a prequel set while Nick is still in the police academy and includes a rarely seen "cheerful" Finnick.**

 **If you've been reading these stories since "A Hole in the Wall" then you might realize that I've been writing the daily lives of Nick and Judy for a week. Each day told in great detail. Pretty cool if I do say so myself.**

 **I know what to do with Suzie now, so she's back in.**

 ***= That was my horrible life.**

 **Wednesday, October 28th 7:30am**

Spots the hyena was woken up by a very annoying and excited fox hovering over her.

"Wake up! Wake up!" Nick shouted.

"The apartment better be on fire." The hyena growled as she wiped the sleep from her eyes.

"It's Wednesday! Time to pick up the kids and beg my mother and future father in-law's forgiveness! I am going to make this the best day ever!"

" _Because tomorrow will be the worst day ever."_ Nick thought to himself.

"Dad! Don't just barge into my room like that?! What if I was sleeping naked?!"

"Okay. One, we're family now. Don't be surprised to see me walking around in my boxers like I am right now. Heck, my father use to walk around the house in his underwear with 'Louie Leftie' peeking out for all to see.* Two, me and half the bunnies at the burrow have already seen you naked or topless and three, it's 55 degrees outside. You'd freeze to death if you didn't have your blanket over you. Now, start getting dressed and I'll cook breakfast!"

"You can cook?"

"As good as I can drive!"

"...I'm gonna get food poisoning."

"Just...shut up and get dressed."

Nick stretched his arms out and scratched himself as he walked towards the kitchen. He was groggy enough that he didn't notice the giant giraffe head poking out through the window.

"Nice boxers!"

"Thank you, I...GAAAAHHH!"

"EEP! Suzie jumped back a bit making her head hit the ceiling."

"Suzie! What are you doing in my apartment?!"

"Technically, I'm not in your apartment Mr...Vivian's dad!"

"It's Mr. Wilde. Nick Wilde."

"Only my head is in your apartment. The rest of me is standing outside! I knocked, but nobody answered. You should really lock your windows."

"Yes, because you never know what weirdo will burst in."

"I know! Right?! Anyway, there's some construction going on in the school so it's closed for today and I was wondering if Viv wanted to hang out?"

"She's going with me to my mom's house to pick up my kids. We're gonna have a big, family day today."

"Aww that's wonderful! I wish I had a family to spend time with."

"Well, it's been nice seeing you, but I gotta cook some eggs and waffles sooo..."

"I love waffles!"

"...SIGH! Let me get dressed and I'll start cooking."

 **Later on...**

Ben Clawhauser had arrived at his church. He went into the confessional booth where the priest was waiting.

"Forgive me father for I have sinned. It has been ten days since my last confession."

"What was your sin my child?"

"Sexual arousal, but it's well...complicated."

"How so?"

"My fiancee has moved in with me before marriage. She was almost fired from work and I agreed to let her move in only to find out that the chief kept her on board."

" 'The chief.'? Is she a police officer?"

"Yes. She was jealous of me having a female partner and mooned the two of us, almost causing a street accident."

"Oh! Fat Fanny Fangmeyer! She was all over the news last night! You must be Ben 'Mr. Gluttony' Clawhauser since that's all you usually confess about."

"Father! Please! This is supposed to be private and anonymous!"

"Sorry Ben. I mean, 'son'."

"Anyway, she moved in with me and pretty much begged me to mate with her, but I still believe in no mating before marriage. We just...spooned together in our underwear and I gotta admit, that alone was incredible. She asked a question I'm not sure how to answer. 'Why not mate?' We're both two grown adults who have made a serious commitment to marry each other and she can't get pregnant anyway, so why does it matter?"

"Why can't she get pregnant?"

"She was born male, but had a sex change. She's a transvestite. I've never seen her as a man though. She's very feminine in her ways and has a feminine voice too. Also, she's a tiger and I'm a cheetah."

"Well then technically, you are already committing a great sin! You are not only romantically involved with a male, but someone outside of your species!"

"But she's not male! Not anymore at least. And...we're both feline! Even then, I don't see what it would matter. I have many friends who are different species, pred and prey. Some of them date."

"Time's change Ben. What we thought was right is now wrong and what we once thought was wrong is now right. The good book is all about guiding you to the proper morals. It is a guide book, not a rule book! Look...I know you Ben. You are a very..VERY good cat! You are here every Sunday morning and Wednesday night. I've seen stronger morals in you than about 80 percent of my congregation! Well...except for the whole gluttony thing. Sometimes...sometimes it's up to YOU to decide what's right and wrong. I can only do so much."

"So...So I should mate with her?"

"That's entirely up to you. I will tell you this, I mated my own fiance' before marriage. We are just mammals Ben. We cannot avoid sin entirely, but we can act upon our morals to the best of our abilities."

"Thank you father. I know what to do now."

"You're welcome my child. Peace be with you."

Clawhauser left with a lot on his mind. _"It's up to me? Hoo-boy! What if I make the wrong choice?"_

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick was eating breakfast with Spots and Suzie the Giraffe who invited herself. Nick decided to make polite conversation.

"So Suzie, what school do you go to?"

"Ah go poo duh Sahawh Squa..."

"Maybe you should wait until you let go of the mug with your tongue before speaking?"

"Towwy! Suzie set the mug down. "When you're a tall mammal like me, your tongue becomes a third arm. Anyway, I'm on my final year at Sahara Square Jr. High. It's an integrated school of all mammal sizes, but it's still a bit tough for a tall gal like me to fit in...the building that is! I'll be going to high school next year!"

"So Spots, do you wanna enroll at Suzie's school in January and play catch up?"

Spots tried to worm her way out of it. "Yeah, well.. ummm..who's gonna watch the little ones?"

"Cotton. Mike and Petey should all be in Kindergarden or first grade by then, so no excuses Freckles!"

"Okay, okay."

They finished up and were ready to leave. "You ready dad?" Spots asked.

"Yup! Just gotta grab my wallet and keys."

Spots walked toward the window. "I'll meet you down at the van! Check this out!" She flung herself to the back of Suzie's neck and slid down. "WHEEE!"

"SPOTS! Be careful! We're two stories up!"

"She's fine Mr. Wilde!" Suzie replied. "The kids use my neck and back as a slide all the time. It tickles!"

"I just worry about her metal foot. Can you stick you head back out so I can lock the window please?

"Sure thing Mr. Wilde! Will you unlock it for me when you come back?"

"...Have a good day Suzie."

Moments later, Nick and Spots were in the Mini van on the way to Nick's mother's house to pick up the kids.

"Let's see what's on the radio!"

 _Click!_

 _The sun will come out...tomorrow!_

 _Click!_

" _Like hell it will/"_ Nick thought to himself.

 _Click!_

" _And now, here's the latest from Justin Timberwolf...'Stay Positive!'"_

" _Hunh...It's like a sign from Judy. "_ Nick thought to himself.

 _Stay positive! Stay positive! Stay positiiiive!_

 _When the road ahead gets kinda rough_

 _and you feel like you have had enough_

 _you don't quit, instead you get tough_

 _Stay positive!_

 _When you feel like the world is against you_

 _and you just don't know what to do_

 _don't give up you will see it through_

 _Stay positive!_

 _Life's not perfect, it can get hard..._

 _but take a gamble, you hold all the caaaards!_

 _And whe-_

 _Click!_ Spots turned off the station.

"Heeey! I was listening to that!" Nick protested.

"I couldn't stand it!" Spots replied. "How can you listen to that bubblegum crap?!"

"I liked the message." Nick replied.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Spots asked.

"Well...let's see...We pick up the kids, spoil them at the toy store, go get new furniture and get rid of the Tuckenroll's stuff since they don't seem to be coming back for it."

"Yeah. I found an armadillo porn magazine between my mattresses...not hot. Not in the least."

"Better not be any other kind of magazine between your mattresses. Anyway, then I go to the legal offices for some paperwork I have to do, then.."

"What kind of paperwork?"

"...I'm writing out my will."

"Why?"

"Just...Y'know...being prepared."

Spots was getting nervous. "Bullshit! Tell me the truth!"

"I am! Being a cop is a very dangerous line of work and sometimes...my job can get hairy. Y'know? If you don't mind, I'm putting Judy down as your Godmother."

"...I thought I was taking the sibs if something happens?"

"You are!...When you're eighteen. Or if I don't marry Judy by then."

Spots looked deep into her father's eyes as he was driving. She knew something was up.

"Pull over!"

"What?!"

"NOW!"

Nick quickly pulled the mini van over.

"Did you need to use the bathroom or some-"

"TELL ME THE TRUTH!" Spots screamed. Tears were in her eyes. "I'm scared."

Nick let out a deep breath. "...In order to catch a bad guy, I have to do something really bad myself."

"Do what?"

"I can't say. I...look." Nick put his paw on Spots shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "You trust me, right?"

"Of course."

"I may not be coming home for a few days...maybe even a week. Whatever happens, I need you to know I'm doing the right thing. I need you to have absolute faith in me. Can you do that?"

"O-Of course! Dad...What's going on?!

"If you see me on the news and the kids are wondering what I'm doing, tell them. Tell them to have faith in their father. I can't give you any details or else it all goes straight to hell. That's my message to give to them. Have faith in me."

Spots reached over and hugged her father tight. "I'm scared!"

"Me too but...I'll be okay. Like the song says, 'Stay Positive!' Now let's go pick up the kids and have a fun day!"

 **Wednesday, 10:30am at Savannah Central**

" _JUMP! JUMP! JUMP!"_

A crowd has formed just as officers Hopps and Clawhauser arrived at the scene. A suicide attempt was taking place.

"I'LL JUMP! I MEAN IT!" Shouted a squirrel 30 feet high on a telephone pole.

"Ben! There's a bullhorn in the side car compartment. Give it to me."

"Here it is!" Ben replied and he gave Judy the speaker.

Judy talked to the directly to the squirrel. "Sir! This is officer Judy Hopps! Please don't take your life! It's not worth it! I'm sure you have loved ones who will miss you dearly!"

"I don't have anyone!" Shouted the squirrel. "Nobody loves me! Nobody will miss me!"

"I'm sure that's not true sir!"

Just then another squirrel came over to Judy's side.

"Excuse me. I'm that squirrel's wife. I'm Mrs. Storin Deeznuts. That's my husband, Holdin."

"Oh, wonderful!" exclaimed Judy. "Mrs. Deeznuts, we need to talk him down. Can I give you the bullhorn?"

"Sure." Judy lowered the bullhorn to the lady squirrel. "GO AHEAD AND JUMP, HOLDIN! EVERYONE KNOWS YOU'RE FAKING IT ANYWAY!"

Judy and Ben were horrified. "Are you crazy?! We're trying to talk him down!"

"Then let him jump! He can't hurt himself!"

Judy was confused. "What do you mean?" The squirrel whispered in her ear. "Oh brother!"

Judy got back on the bullhorn. "Sir. Just go ahead and jump so we can get this over with! I have a busy day ahead of me!"

Clawhauser was shocked. "Judy! How can you be so cruel and insensitive?!"

"Just watch." Judy replied.

The squirrel sobbed. "Nobody cares! Goodbye cruel world!" He jumped off. "AAAAAAHHHH!"

"Oh no!" Clawhauser yelled. He then ran to get under and catch the squirrel.

There was no need. The squirrel fell about twenty feet before the flaps under his arms came out and he glided into a spin and landed safely on the ground.

Ben was surprised. "He's...a _flying_ squirrel?"

Holdin the flying squirrel took a bow. "Thank you! Thank you! I'll be here all week!"

The crown booed him as his wife beat on him and pulled him away. "Get back up in our tree before you're mobbed and arrested you stupid idiot!"

Ben and Judy went back to the Bad Buster.

"What a waste of time!" Judy said. "He's lucky I don't arrest him!"

"He really did fool us." Ben said. "Still...I would have still sided on trying to talk him down regardless. It always pays to be caring."

Judy started to drive off. "That's what I like about you Ben. You have a strong moral code!"

"Thanks Judy."

"In fact, I took one of your lessons to heart. Remember how I told you me and Nick are dating again?"

"How can I forget? Me and Terry squealed higher and louder than that time officer Bacon stubbed his toe!"

"Anyway, I'm not mating with Nick until we're engaged. It's gonna be tough for both of us, but I think it's important in order for us to focus on our relationship. Speaking of which...have you made a decision with you and Terry?"

"I talked with my priest and he seems to think it's okay. He said it's up to me."

"So what's holding you back?"

"I dunno...Judy, what if...what if I'm no good?! What if we mate and she ends up disappointed in me?! What if...y'know?...My rocket ship blasts off before the countdown's over? What if I'm...too small for a tiger?"

"Ben...I think she loves you for you. You told me she loved spooning with you last night. I don't think this is about intense pleasure as much as getting to be one with you. If you don't do this, I think she's gonna feel like you don't fully love her as a woman. Clawhauser, I think...no, I KNOW she'll love you no matter what!"

"You're absolutely right Judy! Today, I'm gonna make love to my fiance'! When's lunch?"

"In a little over an hour. Why? You hungry?"

"No. I want us to meet up with Fangs and Wolford. I'm...something else that starts with 'H'."

Judy smiled. "Aaaah! I gotcha! There's a nice bakery a block from your place. Me and Tim can sit and have lunch while you and Terry can...y'know."

Ben's ears turned beet red. "Thanks Judy." Ben then noticed a car driving past super fast with police in pursuit. "Judy!"

"I'm on it!" Judy hit the gas and they sped away to join the chase.


	12. Chapter 12: Brothers

Chapter 12: Brothers

 **A/N: This will be my final chapter for a bit as the story will be delayed so I can write up the Christmas story and get it done on time. Enjoy!**

 **Wednesday, October 28th 9:30am**

Officers Trumpet and Higgins were getting ready for another day of duty in the ZPD locker room.

"Bob..." Higgins asked his partner. "..Do you feel awkward being in the locker room with me now that you know I'm...y'know..."

"Gay?" Trumpet said. "Of course not! All you did last night was confirm what I already knew about you for awhile now."

"You knew?" Higgins asked.

"Of course Ray! I've known for years! Heh-heh! I remember you introducing me to Harry for the first time as your 'brother'. Heh! You told me it was normal where you came from for brothers to kiss each other on the lips! HAHA! Ya weren't fooling me with that one!"

"Well, I'm just lucky to have a good partner like you who's that understanding."

"Don't think nothin' of it! Your my partner and best friend and nothing's gonna change that! I see you and Harry celebrated your coming out speech last night."

"How can you tell?" Higgins asked.

Bob started laughing. You... _HEE-HEE!_ You haven't walked straight since you got here!"

Raymond started to laugh too. " _HAHA!_ Guilty as charged!"

"You... _HEE-HEE!_...You're walking like a cowboy who just got off his saddle after riding for three hours! _HA-HAAA!_ Now let's get to the meeting room so we can head out and get our second breakfast."

"You got it Bob!"

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick parked the minivan out in front of his mother's house. Before Nick could turn off the engine, Spots burst out of the van and ran toward the house. Petey was running out side to greet her pulling Michael along with him."

"THPOTTH! THOTTH!" Petey shouted.

"Slow down Pete!" Michael yelled, but it was no use. He tripped and was dragged along the ground by Petey who was still holding his paw. "AAAUGH!"

Spots tackled both of them to the ground and licked their faces. Petey giggled, but a "YEEEUCK!" came out of Michael.

"I'm so happy to see you guys!" Spots said excitedly. "I missed you!"

"You were only gone a day." Michael said.

Nick got out and started heading towards the house. "Hey don't spoil them too much! Save some for me!"

Nick got in on a big group hug of the three of them. He kissed Petey on the forehead. Then, he saw Cotton come out of the house on her crutches. He couldn't help himself. As much as he loves Petey as a son and Spots as the glue of the family, Cotton was the first one he adopted and the one he felt the strongest bond with.

"Cotton!" Nick ran over to her and lifted her so fast she dropped her crutches. He spun her around in the air making her giggle. He then hugged her tightly to his chest and kissed her all over. "Awww Daddy missed you so much! You and Petey are coming home for good now!"

"Really?" Cotton said excitedly.

"Yup! Turns out Logan's apartments have security measures in place that make iron bars come down and stop anyone from coming inside. But don't worry! We'll be visiting grandma so much she'll be annoyed at us!"

"Is that so?" Nick's mother, Vivian said as she came out from around the corner. "Well maybe I only want the grandkids to come after what you said on the phone!"

Nick dropped his ears. "Cotton,. Go get your crutches and give your big sis a hug. Daddy's got some groveling to do. Mom, let's go inside."

Cotton went to go see Spots while Nick lead Vivian into the living room.

"Where's bobby?" Nick asked.

"In my room. He refuses to talk to you!"

"Well, I'd like to talk to him about a few things."

She was furious. "If you think for one second that you're going to forbid me and.."

"I WAS WRONG!" Nick shouted. "I...I was being a total jerk. Look, me and Spots talked to a therapist. She got a lot out and a lot of her rage dealt with seeing her parents die in front of her. Rhinos assassinated them. It messed her up bad."

"The poor dear." Vivian replied.

"No, the deer was the therapist. Spots is a hyena."

Vivian gave him the angriest look. "Okay, bad joke. Anyway, during the therapy session, I...I broke down and had an epiphany."

He stared deep into Vivian's eyes. Tears started to form. "Mom...I have been a TERRIBLE son to you! I abandoned you when you needed me the most and I barely came to see you unless it was a holiday. Even when I was old enough to come back without child services taking me away, I...I stayed away because I couldn't face you after those horrible things I said to dad just before he died, but.. _.SNIFF!_...but that only made things worse!"

He pointed at the bedroom. "That cougar in there has been a better son to you than I ever have! He loves you for you and he's made you happier than you've been in years! I can tell! I...I can't see him as a father in law, but I'd be proud to have him as a little brother."

Nick started to break down. "I-I-I just hope you can forgive me and..SNIFF!...and let me walk you down the isle!"

"Oh! Of course Sweetie!" She hugged onto her son tight, then called out to the bedroom. " Get our here Bobby! I know you're listening!"

Bobby came out of the room with a scowl on his face. He wasn't to sure about Nick.

Nick stood up and stretched his arms out in a hug motion. "Come at me bro!"

"After what you said? No!"

Nick approached him closer with his arms wide open. "Awww c'mon!"

Bobby started to back off. "I said no!"

Nick started chasing him around the room. "We're doin' it! It's happening!"

Bobby started running around the house with Nick following behind. "Get away from me you weirdo!"

"I'm gonna hug yooou!"

"Knock it off! Viv! Tell him to knock it off!"

Nick finally tackled him. "No calling for mommy!"

"Get off me!"

Nick got him in a head lock and started giving him noogies. "Noogie! Noogie! Noogie! It's fun having a little brother!"

"AAAHH! Knock it off!"

"Not until you forgive me."

"You made me out like I was a pervert! I outta punch you in the face!"

"Okay then." Nick released Bobby and helped him up. The kids had come inside and were watching. "Hit me."

"...What?"

"You've been nothing but wonderful to my mom and you spoiled my kids rotten. You've even been great with Michael and what do I do? I forbid you from making my mom even happier and call you a reverse pedophile. I was jealous. Jealous and angry because you were there for her when I should have been. I can't call you 'dad'. I just can't, but...I'd be damn proud to call you my little brother. So do me a favor and punch me in face, okay? I already got a black eye. One more won't hurt."

Bobby just chuckled in defeat. "C'mere bro!" They hugged each other tight.

"I'm sorry Bobby." Nick said.

"It's okay." Bobby replied. "At least you got a better attitude about it than my family."

"Because my mom is so much older?" Nick asked.

"Well that, and she's canine and I'm feline. Plus, they just don't like foxes."

"That's ridiculous!" Nick scoffed. "You're both predators! I can't believe they have that kind of bias!"

"Believe it. You'd think with the changes going on in Bunnyburrow, they'd have a better attitude."

"They're from Bunnyburrow hunh?" Nick though about it. "Say! That gives me an idea!"

He sat down next to his mother on the couch and had Bobby sit next to him. He put his arms around the both of them. "Look...how soon do you think you two can get married? Are there invitations to go out?"

Vivian looked at Nick. "Well, on our side, there's just me and you and a few friends. None of Bobby's side of the family wants to go."

"Gideon and Julie are having their wedding ceremony a month from now. If you don't mind rushing, why not make it a double?"

Bobby was confused. "What? Why?"

"Because I want to talk to your family while we're down there. Like I said, I'm gonna treat you as my little brother and a big brother _always_ protects his little brother."

Michael heard that and his ears shot up.

Vivian was confused. You're still going to Bunnyburrow? I thought you and Judy broke up?

"Didn't last long. We're dating again."

Vivian almost sprang up out of her chair. She gave Nick a big hug. "Oh Nick, honey! That's wonderful! I hope things work out now. I really love that bunny! She's done so much for you!"

Nick turned his attention back to Bobby. "So whaddya say baby bro? Maybe they'll change their minds if they see a fox police officer supports you."

Bobby thought about it. "If Viv is up for it...yeah. Thanks Nick." He then turned his attention to his fiance'. "Viv honey?"

She smiled at him. "Sure. Let's do it!"

Nick chuckled, "Wait till we get out of the house you two!"

Vivian's ears turned red. "I meant let's get married in Bunnyburrow!"

Michael whispered in Petey's ear and Petey lead him over to Nick. Michael then tugged on Nick's pant leg. "Mr. Wilde sir?"

"Calle me 'Uncle Nick'! What's up Mike?"

"Are you...are you gonna marry my mommy?"

Nick chuckled. "Well, that's up to her. On our date, she made it clear that after my proposal screw up, SHE has to be the one to propose to me when she's ready. The ball is in her court."

"Can I talk to you and Petey in private?"

Nick was a little confused. "Uhhh...okay?" He then picked up Michael and excused himself. "I'll be back in a sec. We'll talk in my room."

Nick took the bunnies upstairs. Moments later, Nick sat Michael on his old bed. "So what is it you wanted to say to me champ?"

"Spots told me I'll be sharing a room with Petey and he'll kinda be like my brother."

"That's right. Your mom will be right next door so if there's anything you need, she'll be there for you too."

"You said Grandpa Bobby is gonna be like your little brother?"

"Yeah?"

"And big brothers watch out and protect their little brothers?"

"...Right."

"Can...can Petey be my big brother?"

Nick was a little choked up by his request. "Well, y'know Petey is six months _younger_ than you. Also, I haven't married your mother yet."

"I know but..." He started to sob a little. "...I need help getting around and Pete...he's...he's been so good to meeee!"

He started to cry and Petey came up and hugged him. "I was so MEAN to him! And he... _SNIFF!_ He was only nice to me and, and, and he wanted me to be his best friend! None of my brothers and sisters back home wanted to be around me! Th-They would go out of their way to avoid me b-because they didn't know how to treat me! I had to learn the layout of that big place on my own! Petey isn't embarrassed to hold my paw and lead me around! He's annoying at times, but that's how brother's are! I-I-I don't want him as my best friend, I want him as my b-b-big brother-herrrr!"

Nick gave them both a big hug and rubbed his cheeks against theirs. "That's so sweet you two!" He then thought it over. "Y'know, there is a way."

Both their ears perked up. "Really?!"

"Yes. I'm going to initiate you two as... _'secret brothers'_!" He whispered and then put his finger up to the front of his muzzle.

They both ooh'ed and awww'ed.

"Theekwet _SNORK!_ Brotherth?!" Petey asked.

"Yes! It's a special ceremony. You get to be brothers. You even get to decide who gets to be big brother and little brother! But only... _ONLY_ if you keep it secret! Okay?"

"Okay!" They both said cheerfully.

"Now! Raise your right paw and repeat after me!"

They all raised their right paw.

"Starting with Petey. I...Peter Wilde..."

"I... _GLICK!_ Peter Wilde..."

"Promise to be a good big brother..."

"Pwomith to be a good big bwudder..."

"To help guide him..."

"To... _SUPERCALIFRAGULISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS!_ help guide him.."

" _That was a hell of a tick!"_ Nick thought.

"And to protect him against all enemies foreign and domestic."

"And to pwotect him againth't all enemieth foreign and comedic!"

"Close enough. Okay, now for you Mike! I...Michael Hopps..."

"I Michael Hopps..."

"Promise to be a good little brother..."

"Promise to be a good little brother..."

"And to let Petey guide me around..."

"And to let Petey guide me around..."

"Even if I have to make a big doo-doo in the bathroom!"

The two bunnies laughed. "Even if I have to make a big doo-doo in the bathroom!"

"Okay! We're almost done! Now hold still..." Nick grabbed the top of their heads with both his paws and slightly shook them. He then spoke in tongues.

"MMMMAGAICAPOOOLA-WHICHIKADOOLA-BIPPIDY-BOPPIDY-BOO!" Okay! It's done! You're both secret brothers!"

The bunnies cheered and hugged each other.

"Now remember!" Nick warned. "If you reveal this secret to anyone, even your sisters Peter, the spell is broken and you'll receive a great punishment!"

"Like what?" Michael asked.

"Ummm...you'll have no vegetables with your dinner for a week!"

The bunnies jumped back frightened,. "NOOO! ANYTHING BUT THAT!"

"Oooh yes!" Nick replied. "So keep it under your hat at all costs!"

"Okay!" They both said together.

"Petey. C'mere!" Nick picked up his bunny son and kissed him on the forehead, followed by a soft hug. "Son, I am so PROUD of you! Michael fought and bullied you the other night and instead of fighting back, you showed him love and turned him around. The world would be a much better place if there were more kits like you around!"

"I knew what _BORK! BORK! BORK!_ What he wath going thwew. He wath mad becauth evewything in his wife wath changing and hith mommy and daddy wet him down when they twied to thacwifice him just wike my mommy did!"

"Yeah." Michael said. "Kinda like that."

Nick stood up. "Well Petey, you're a very loving and understanding secret big brother. Let's head back out."

They headed downstairs to the living room where Vivian looked concerned. "Is everything okay? I heard some crying!"

"Everything's great!" Nick said. "Michael just...wanted to work out some details. We're all good. Before I leave, there is one other person I need to talk to in private." He looked over at Bobby.

Bobby groaned. "Okay. Okay. But no threats this time!"

"Nothing of the sort." They walked into Vivian's room and sat on her bed.

Nick looked around. "So this is where the magic happens."

"Dude!" Bobby shouted. "That's your mom we're talking about!"

Nick chuckled. "So? Look. I want her to be as happy as she can be. If her mating you makes her happy, then I'm happy. So I wanted to leave you with some advice."

Bobby patted the bed. "If it's advice on _this?_ I don't need it. I'm REAL good in that department."

"My dad's pet name for her was 'vee'. Did she ever tell you that?"

"No. I always call her 'Viv'. You think she'd like it more If I called her 'Vee'?"

"Ummm no. Stick with 'Viv'. It makes you different from him. However..."

"However?"

"When my dad would be real lovey-dovey with mom, he'd call her, 'my flower'. You call her that at the right time, in a moment of passion? She'll go WILD little bro."

"Thanks, I'll remember that. Still, it's a little weird, you giving me mating advice for your own mom."

"Like I said, I just want to make sure you make my mom as happy as can be. I'm gonna leave with the kids now." Nick stood up and patted Bobby on the back as he left.

They said their goodbyes and got in the mini-van. Spots got in the back so she can be close to Petey and Cotton. Cotton was next to Spots and the two bunnies were next to her in their toddler seats.

"What'th the other baby theat for daddy?" Petey asked.

"That's for Judy."

Spots laughed. "I forget how small Miss H is!"

As they drove off, Nick looked in the rear-view mirror, he saw Michael holding and hugging his plush dolls. They looked like him and Judy.

"What are those you got champ?" Nick asked.

"This is the mommy and this one is the daddy."

"Ooooh. So what's the mommy's name?"

"Judy."

"Nice name. What's the daddy's name?"

Michael thought it over. He wasn't dumb. He knew his life in Bunnyburrow was behind him and that Tom would never get together with Judy. Tom saved his life, but Nick gave him a loving family.

"Nick! His name is Nick."

"That's a TERRIBLE name!" Nick replied. The kids all laughed.


	13. Update: State of the FanFic

UPDATE: The state of the FanFic

So as you probably already know, I took a vacation from this story to write Operation: Santa Paws so I can have it done by Christmas. It's coming along great and should be finished ahead of time.

So what about the future of this story? It's still going to be coming along, but I decided on some changes.

First, the story will now be called Cheetah on Patrol – Healing. The main reason for this is that 'Anger management really only covers Spots and Judy, but this story has grown to have several journeys and character developments for it's expanding cast. Plus, it's more about healing from the dark events from "Sacrifices" and moving on. We saw Judy's blind little brother/son Michael start to slowly get used to his new situation and cling to Petey for support. Spots character development is pretty much finished. Not sure what to do with Cotton yet. Judy and Mike talking to the therapist will be an important part of their character development.

Second, the next chapter will force me to make the story rated M. It was too hard to get around. It's a Clawhauser and Hopps chapter that starts off with Clawhauser getting to kick some butt and then going home during lunch break to make love to Terry Fangmeyer. During this part, Wolford and Judy have a conversation about Ben and Terry at a nearby cafe where Wolford implies that Ben may technically be gay due to certain facts. The discussion has to be frank enough (mostly about smell and bodily fluids) that I can't see myself tip-toeing around it. It's important to Ben's development and gives him some self-doubt about his feeling's for Terry that he has to overcome. Because of that, I may...MAY include some lemon scenes including Ben/Terry and Bobby/Vivian (Nick's mom), more for character arc than anything else.

Third, the "Big Cheese" climax is coming, but with several connected stories beforehand. Therefore, all future stories will be titled "The purge" followed by the subtitle of the story. Example, the next story will be called. "The Purge (Part one): A Fox in the Jailhouse" Followed by "The Purge (Part two) Twelve Angry Cops".

See you in a few weeks! Until then, enjoy Operation: Santa Paws.


	14. Chapter 13: Afternoon Delight

Chapter 13: Afternoon Delight (The Lemon Chapter)

 **WARNING: There is some sex going on in the second half this chapter for story purposes. If this offends you, please wait until the next chapter and I'll fill you in on the author notes first.**

 **A/N: Okay, storywise, there was no getting around this one for me. This and the next chapter are M rated. Sometimes, in order to tell a more mature character arc or story, it has to involve sex in some way. Just look at Game of Thrones as an example. In this case, it's very important to showcase this for Terry and Clawhauser as a romantic couple. Their sexual encounter changes them in ways both good and bad as you'll soon see, but again it's important for their character arc. I'm not normally one to write erotic fiction (although, I'll sometimes throw in a gross joke or two as you'll soon see.)**

 **Now, some of you are saying "Big deal Joey! I read fanfics with smut in them all the time!" I'm just trying to tell you that writing this kind of stuff isn't normally my cup of tea. In fact, I was going to write a sex scene between Bobby and Vivian, but I'm able to write what happens after just as easily and dodge any dirty stuff...SOME dirty stuff. In fact, most of Ben and Terry's sex scene will just be a discussion with Judy and Tim AFTER the sexual encounter (and now as I'm finishing, it looks like mostly in the next chapter.)**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter. (Although some of you may be enjoying it for different reasons than others. Wink, Wink.) There's still plenty of action, humor and heart in this one as you'll soon see with our action packed start.**

 **BTW, some of the medical stuff I'm just making up so please forgive me if I'm wrong.**

 **Wednesday, October 28th 10:40am**

The ZPD were still chasing the suspects. The cars flew several feet into the air as they sped through the top of the hill near Savannah Central. Judy and Ben in the Bad Buster had passed the other cop cars and were just behind the criminal car that was going along at dangerous speeds.

"We have to stop the vehicle!" Judy said. "They have a quarter million dollars worth of illegal cat nip in their trunk!"

Clawhauser pouted. "I don't see what the big deal is on cat nip. It used to be perfectly legal! I nipped on occasion when I was a teen."

"It's fine for home use Ben, but it got outlawed when a lot of felines used it while driving. They'd often fall asleep at the wheel."

"Then what's the excuse for alcohol?" Ben argued.

"This is no time to get political on me Ben!" Judy argued back. She then got on the CB "This is Judy Hopps! I am in pursuit of some catnip smugglers and have back up. Please reroute traffic!"

"Traffic being rerouted Judy." Said the squeaky voice of Melvin the goat who was now the head dispatcher after being an intern of Clawhauser's. "Anything else?"

"Hmmm..." Judy had to think of a way of stopping the smugglers. "All remaining officers, block the smuggler's route and try to head them off near the alleyway of eighth and fauna. Let's try maneuver 236."

Ben was confused. "What's 'Maneuver 236'?"

"It's also known as 'operation: red dot'. It's used on felines like this gang of jaguars with the catnip. You'll see." They then started getting too close to traffic." Look out!"

Judy split the car off of the motorcycle and Ben took control. Ben managed to steer the car near the side of the jaguars only for them to open fire on him. Some of the "bullets" hit.

"OW! I'VE BEEN SHOT!" Ben screamed.

Judy panicked. "BEN! Are you okay?!"

"I was hit with...lumps of kitty litter?! EWW!"

Judy breathed a sigh of relief. She then took a little revenge by spraying the jaguars with rubber bullets, forcing them to roll their windows up. Two squad cars managed to chase the crooks off in the direction Judy was planning.

The plan worked. The jaguars drove into the narrow alleyway thinking they'd escape to the other side, only to be blocked by an open police van.

"They got us cornered!" The jaguar leader screamed. "Open fire!" The other jaguars sprayed the cops with kitty litter bullets.

While ducked behind his car. Clawhauser looked up at the roof and saw several officers with rifles aimed at the jaguar gang. "Snipers?! They're gonna kill them?! Judy, this is crazy! It's just nip!"

"They're not gonna fire at them." Judy assured Ben. "Just watch."

The snipers laser sights went on. They weren't aimed at the jaguars, but the ground near them.

One of the jaguars gasped and yelled. "RED DOT!" The other jaguars took notice. "GET IT! GET IT!"

All of the jaguars chased the red laser dots around while the snipers aimed the dots away from them, manipulating them towards the van. "This is a trap!" One of the jaguars yelled. "I know!" Yelled another. "But...THE DOT! Curse my base instincts!"

One of the jaguars made a leap for it. "I caught it! No Wait! Now it's on my hand!"

"Of course it's on your hand! It's a laser!"

"I know! But...THE DOT! I gotta catch it!"

Hiding behind the car with Ben, Judy smiled as her plan was going perfectly. "See Ben? In the end, they're just a bunch of cats who are easy to...Ben?"

She saw her partner stand up. His eyes glazed over. "The...dot!...Must...catch it!" He took off running toward the laser sights and the jaguars.

Judy screamed. "BEN! NOOO!"

It was too late. Clawhauser was now chasing the red dots along with the jaguar gang as the snipers lead them into the police van with the dots and shut the door. Ben was now trapped with the gang.

Inside, Ben looked around "Say fellas! Did any of you guys catch the dot?"

"He's a cop!" The leader screamed. "Kick his ass!"

Judy ran towards the van and yelled at the officers. "Open it up! My partners' inside!:

It was too late. The van was rocking back and forth as slams could be heard inside.

Judy was panicking. "OPEN UP! PLEASE!"

The officers rushed over and opened the doors. What Judy saw shocked her.

There, in the van, all of the jaguar gang was knocked out outside of the leader that Ben had pinned to the ground in a submission hold.

"That'll teach you and your friends to hit me like that! That was just mean, you...you big meanie!"

Judy couldn't believe her eyes. "Clawhauser! You...you took them all down by yourself?!"

Another officer picked up the suspect Ben had pinned while Ben got up and brushed himself off. "Not all of them. One of them accidentally set off my dart gun. When I first joined the academy, I took a lot of training in Judo and close quarters combat. I was always faster than Bob back then, so I'd often ended up fighting off three or more suspects before he arrived. Guess I still got it a little."

"I'll say!" Said a tiger coming from behind Judy. Judy quickly turned around and saw it was Fangmeyer.

"Oh! Hey Terry! You got here quickly." Judy replied.

Wolford came up from behind. "We was in one of the squad cars you passed. Dang Claws! You really took 'em down!"

"BENNY!" Fangmeyer shouted as she leaped over and kissed her boyfriend. "Are you okay honey?!"

"I'm fine sweetie..." Ben replied. He then looked at her flirtatiously as he squeezed her bottom. "...but not as fine as you."

Terry giggled. "Ben! What's gotten into you?"

"I'd like to get _me_ into you!"

Terry's eyes opened wide. "Are you saying what I _think_ you're saying?"

Ben nodded. "Mmmm-Hmm! I talked with my priest and...he said it's up to me. I was thinking...when we go to lunch, there's a cafe about a block down from our place. We could drop off Wolford and Hopps there and have them order for us while we go home for about 20 minutes or so and...y'know."

Fangmeyer immediately grabbed her partner's collar. "WE'RE GOING TO LUNCH NOW!"

"But it's barley 11:00am!" Wolford argued. "And we just nabbed these crooks so we'll all have to go back to the station and do the paperwork and alla 'dem formalities."

Fangmeyer's ears bobbed down. "AWWW!"

Clawhauser came over and rubbed her back. "Don't worry honey. We'll wrap it up as fast as we can and then we'll have some lunch." He then whispered into her ear. "The special on the menu...is _you!_ "

Fangmeyer squealed. "EEEEEE!"

Clawhauser jumped back into the side car while Judy attached the cycle and car back together.

" _Somebody's_ the man today!" Judy commented as she hopped back onto her bike.

Ben threw some sunglasses on. "You know it! Hit it baby!"

Judy revved up the engine. "You call me 'baby' again and I'll take these large feet of mine and break your nose!"

 **Meanwhile, at Nick's Mother's place...**

Bobby Catmull and Nick's mother, Vivian were out of breath.

Bobby had just gotten off of her after mating and they both laid side by side after climaxing with their arms around each other. The room filled with the odor of their sex and Vivian couldn't stop panting.

"That..." Bobby commented "...was good!"

"That... _Hah! Hah! Hah!_...was incredible!" Vivian replied back. "Bobby honey, that was he best I've had in decades! It a lot better than.. _Hah! Hah! Hah!..._ than that time you decided to get kinky and puked on my breasts."

"For the last time, that was an accidental hairball and you know it!"

Vivian started to catch her breath. "I was still mad at you for that, bit this...THIS made up for it! I never came so hard in decades! I gotta ask...you called me 'my flower'..."

Bobby smiled. "That really did the trick, didn't it?"

"It sure did, but...John used to call me that. How did you know?"

Bobby feigned innocence. "Just lucky I guess."

She eyed him suspiciously. "Bobby..."

He finally fessed up. "Okay, okay! I was Nick's idea. He told me that John used to call you that. I thought it you'd like it!"

"NICK gave you advice to make me orgasm better?"

"Sounds creepy when you say it like that. I think he just feels guilty now and really wants to do everything he can to make you happy."

"Well... as weird as that is, I appreciate it, but when you proposed to me, you _promised_ me you wouldn't try to replace John!"

Bobby felt offended. "I'm not! I swear!"

"When you call me 'My Flower', as incredible as that moment was, In my mind, that's you trying to replace him."

Bobby rubbed his head on hers. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to be like that."

"I'll always love John and he'll always be in my heart, but John is dead. You're here now. Call me by your pet name for me, not his."

Bobby smiled at her. "You do love it when I call you 'mommy' don't you?"

She smiled back. "Makes me feel so dirty! Like your my child and we're having incest or something."

They giggled together and kissed. "Bobby, my husband is dead. Long live my future husband."

 **12:05pm The Carnivore Cafe'**

Ben and Terry were practically shoving Judy and Tim Wolford into the cafe'.

"Order us the number two!" Clawhauser said. "We'll be back in ten minutes!"

"Twenty!" Shouted Fangmeyer. "This place takes forever to serve you anyway."

Tim and Judy found a table in the corner for four people. "Might as well get comfy-like. 'Dey may be awhile. Heh-Heh! Unless Ben's rocket blasts off before countdown."

A beaver waitress came over. "Oh! This is a surprise. We don't get too many prey/pred couples around here."

Judy and Tim looked at each other and then looked at the waitress. "No! No!" Judy shouted. "You got it all wrong! He's just a friend! We work together."

"Yeah!" Tim replied. "See 'da uniforms? We're cops! We're just waitin' on some friends of ours who went ta go bone each other."

"WOLFORD!" Judy shouted.

"What?! It's 'da truth! Ain't it?"

"Don't worry you two lovebirds." Said the beaver. "Your secret's safe with me. Now, what can I get ya?"

Wolford and Hopps just rolled their eyes and looked at the menu for a moment and gave their orders along with orders for Fangmeyer and Clawhauser.

After she left, Judy decided to make small talk. "Y'know, although they're really rushing into things, I'm glad they have each other. Ben's a great guy and I imagine Terry's...condition makes it hard for her to find someone."

"Yeah." Tim replied. "Still...I wonder if ol' Claws has figured out 'dat he's gay."

Judy's eyes almost bulged out of her skull. "WHAT?!"

 **Meanwhile...**

Ben and Terry arrived back at their place giggling excitedly like a couple of school children. Terry turned around and kissed her fat cheetah passionately. "Oooh baby! I've been waiting for this for so long! No spooning in our undies. Take off those pants!"

"Okay sweetie but...I think we should shower first. We've been getting pretty sweaty with work today. I want us to be clean if I'm gonna y'know...lick any parts."

Terry giggled wildly and a shiver went down her spine. "Let's save time and just mate while in the shower. This way we also wash any fluids off."

Ben opened the bathroom door for Terry. "Ladies first."

Terry went in and opened the shower door. She had used the ZPD locker shower in the morning and hadn't noticed just how high up the ceiling of their shower was. It was a large as an average bedroom, but the ceiling was twenty feet high. The tile on the wall was decorated in floral patterns. "It's amazing!"

"Well, it was built for giraffe's dear. The hot water comes down from the top like rain. Just..ummm t-take your clothes off and h-hop in!"

"Someone's jittery." Terry noticed. "Are you nervous or excited?"

"B-Both!" Ben admitted.

"Well..." Terry said with a flirtatious smile. "I'm about to get you REAL excited!" Terry took control first by taking off her uniform top, revealing her bra. She noticed the bump forming in Clawhauser's pants. "Yup...DEFINITELY excited." She then slowly took of her pants shaking her hips as she pulled them down.

Ben was shivering with excitement. "Ooooh my!"

"Point of no return baby! Now...I'm not removing my undies until you remove yours."

Clawhauser let out a big breath of air "Ooooh-Ho-kay! Like jumping into a cold pool! I'm gonna do it fast!" He quickly took off his uniform and with a slight hesitation, pulled down his underwear. He was completely naked before Terry. His manhood at half mast.

"Mmmm...not bad fluffball!" Terry commented while looking down at his member. "But let's see just how big 'Little Benny' gets!" She took off her bra revealing only slightly larger breasts than a chubby male tiger would have, but the best a large amount of estrogen could give her. Her body though was very muscular, similar to her backup dancer twin brother. She then turned her back to Ben and slowly pulled her panties down. She bent over as she did this, revealing her rear and vagina to the chubby cheetah.

Speaking of chubbies, Terry noticed Ben's was starting to grow. "Oooh! Nice!"

….And grow. "...What the?"

…...And grow. "...HOLY SHIT!"

"Terry! Language!" Ben replied.

 **Meanwhile at the cafe'...**

"What do you mean Clawhauser's gay?" Judy asked. "I mean...he certainly acts it sometimes, but he's always shown interest in women. Like Gazelle!"

"He's shown a fascination wit' Gazelle, sure..." Wolford argued. "But fascination is different from attraction. He's a fan."

"I've seen some of his Gazelle fanfics." Judy argued. "Trust me, it's MORE than fascination."

"All I know is that he said to me about Fangs, 'Her smell drives me wild.' "

"So?"

"He's talkin' about her pheromones. 'Dat scent we canines can easily pick up on 'dat let's us know when someone is interested in us. It's how I knew you and Nick were inta each other long bafore you two's evah hooked up."

"Seriously?" Judy replied. "You knew Nick and my feelings before WE did?"

"Yup, but here's 'da thing...female pheromones and male pheromones are VERY different in smell. You cannot and I mean CANNOT be attracted to 'dat smell widdout having a sexual interest in that particular sex."

"Are you sure it's not partly psychological? I mean, he really does see her as a woman."

"No. You ferget, I used ta date her. I tried, I mean REALLY tried to get past that, and I couldn't. Not only 'dat, she's a twin and her brudder is one'a Gazelle's dancers. She's as muscular as that dude and huggin' her wuz like huggin' a bodybuilder. Everything wuz great between us until she got inta me enough ta start spillin' out those pheromones 'a hers...'a his? Anyway, I couldn't take 'da smell. It wuz like seein' a dude nekkid. Did nuthin' for me but turn me off and ta be honest, repulsed me a little. I finally told her the truth and it devastated her."

Wolford bowed his head as tears rolled down. "She...SNIFF!...She hated me and I hated myself fer a bit. We split up as partners for a short time. But in the end, it wasn't my fault. I'm straight and...as much as I love her, if I can't be attracted ta her like 'dat, there's nothing that can be done. She forgave me, we became partners again and ironically, I made her my best man at my weddin'."

Judy was in thought. "She gives out male pheromones...but Clawhauser loves the smell."

"Right, then there's the big test...he's gonna notice somethin' big when she climaxes...if she does."

"What's that?"

"Her...y'know fluids! She still has male semen 'tanks to 'da prostate. No sperm for course. She's female on the outside and in her heart, but she's still male deep on the inside and 'dat can't be changed. If he really is straight and can love her for who she is, then he's a better man 'dan I am."

Wolford then looked around the cafe'. "Fangs wuz right about this place bein' slow. Where's our freakin' drinks?! Better call 'da waitress."

Judy then remembered. "Call?...Oh my gosh! Call! I promised Michael I'd call him on my lunch break!" She then scrambled to get her smart phone.

Wolford was confused. "Who's Michael?! You got a new boyfriend on 'da side?"

"He's my son." Judy responded.

Wolford was shocked. "You got a son?!"

"I didn't tell you guys? He was my little brother...well, foster brother until I found out he was going to be sacrificed."

"WHAT?!"

" _SIGH!_ Remind me to have a long conversation with you and Fangmeyer. The short of it is, I found out I was adopted, I adopted Michael before he was sacrificed to giant hawks for food. He's six years old and blind."

"AWWW! Well 'dats wonderful...and horrifying it sounds like."

"It was." She then called he phone.

Nick's eldest daughter Spots answered. _"Hello?"_

"It's me, Judy! Where's Nick?"

" _We're parked over at the legal department and he's getting some papers signed."_

Judy was confused. "What kind of papers?"

" _A will. Also, he's making you our godmother. He should have told you first. I hope that's okay."_

"I wish he'd told me first, but I'd love to be your godmother...Why is he doing this now?"

" _I don't know. He said it's something he can't talk about. Anyway, I'm guessing you want to talk to Michael?"_

"Yes! Yes!" Judy said excitedly. "Put me on video."

Spots put the call on video and handed the phone to Michael only he had the phone facing away from him.

"Michael honey, turn the phone around. I can't see you."

" _That makes two of us."_ Michael said. Spots gave a hyena laugh to that.

He turned the phone around and Judy saw her son's face. Her heart melted. "Oooh I missed you so much! I can't wait to see you later! Are you doing okay?"

" _Yes mommy! Grandma and grandpa were really nice to me and grandpa bought me a harmonica! I'm pretty good at it. Nick is really nice. Spots is cool too. I love Cotton. Petey...Petey's my best friend."_

Judy was happy. "Aww! I'm glad honey! I know you were having a very tough time leaving home."

Michael gave some thought. _"...My real mommy doesn't love me, does she?"_

"Just the opposite dear. She loved you enough to let you go and do what was best for you. She wants you to be happy and to have me take care of you. Are...are you happy?"

" _I'm...I'm better mommy. Petey helped me and was real nice to me even when I was mean...Mommy?"_

"Yes sweetie?"

" _Are you going to marry Mr. Wilde?"_

Wolford smiled as he looked at Judy who was now blushing. "Maybe. We're still just dating, but we're very close."

" _I think you should mommy. I like him and his family. I get more attention here than back home. They always ignored me. I wanna be part of this family."_

"Well, if Mr. Wilde plays his cards right, there's a strong possibility. I'd do anything to make you happy." Judy then saw Clawhuaser and Fangmeyer about to walk in. "I gotta go honey. I'll meet you at four and we'll let the therapist get everything off our chest and let our feelings be known. You be good okay?"

" _Okay mommy! I'm...I'm sorry I called you stupid. I love you."_

Judy started to weep. "I love you too honey. SNIFF! Very...VERY much! Good bye."

She hung up the phone, but kept staring at it. Wolford just looked at her curiously. "What'chu cryin' fer anyways?"

"He... _SNIFF!_ He said he loved me! That's the first time he ever did! He always resented me taking him from his home, but now...he's...he's finally happy!" She started to break down in tears. Wolford rubbed her shoulders.

"Hey, hey now! No tears. This is a happy moment. Ben and Terry are here!"

Judy and Tim looked over to see Ben and Terry approaching. Terry had a face of absolute ecstasy while been had a look of sadness and despair.

Wolford spoke up first. "Welcome back you two's! We're still waitin' on our meal believe it or not. I can tell by the look on Fangs face that...woooah!" A funky smell had taken over Wolford's nose.

"What's going on?" Judy asked.

Tim had to hold his nose. "Definitely 'mission accomplished'. I can smell Clawhauser's fluids all over Fangs! Geez! Did you two even shower afterwoids?!"

"Actually..." Fangmeyer replied. "We mated in the shower. I guess I didn't wash off good enough afterwords, but OH...MY...GOD! Benny was INCREDIBLE! He's...he's eight inches! EIGHT!"

Wolford's jaw dropped. "Da hell you say?!"

"And judging by that pic you once showed me of 'little Tim', he's twice your size Wolfy!"

"Geez! Between 'dis and him takin' on five jaguars, I'm feelin' a bit demasca-...demascul-...less manly."

Terry sat next to Judy. "He really made me feel like a woman! I have to tell you everything!"

Judy wasn't sure if she wanted to hear everything. "DO you have to tell me everything?"

Clawhauser, put his hand on Wolford's arm. "If you'll excuse me ladies, I wanna go brag to Tim about my ummm 'conquest'. You know how us guys are!"

Terry gave Ben a flirty look back. "Well, you certainly conquered me!"

"Heh! Heh! Ummmm...yeah. Tim, can I talk to you over here... Please?!"

Ben pulled Tim away from Judy and Terry.

"Sounds like you two really hit it!" Tim commented.

Clawhauser gave Wolford a look of dread. "Tim...it was a disaster. I'm not sure if I can marry her."


	15. Chapter 14: Denial

Chapter 14: Denial

 **A/N: Okay, this is where it gets a bit more graphic (both in sex talk and violence), so I'm giving a warning in advance. The details come from Clawhauser and Fangmeyer themselves as they recall their first sexual encounter together to their friends. However, they both see it in a different light. If anyone wants to not read the sexual parts and have me give them a short recap on the next chapter, let me know.**

 **Just a warning that it might be a confusing read as the girls are talking at a separate table from the guys and I'll be going back and fourth in transition. To make things less confusing, until they join up again, Fangmeyer and Judy will be talking in italics. Hope this helps with any possible confusion.**

 **Again, my medical expertise isn't exact so bear with me if I fudge some things.**

 **Wednesday, 12:28pm at the Carnivore Cafe'**

"Whaddya mean it was a disaster?!" Wolford asked. "Look at her. She loved it!"

Clawhauser looked over at Fangmeyer who was chatting away with Hopps with a big smile on her face.

Ben sighed. "Yeah. She loved it and I did too but..."

"But what?!" Tim asked.

"She's still a man!"

Tim was confused. "Woah! Woah! Whaddya talkin' about? I saw her full moon yesterday. Ain't no man parts 'dere!"

"Not on the outside, but on the inside."

Tim rubbed his paw against his head. "Awww crap! I wuz hopin' you wouldn't notice."

"You knew?!"

"Of course I knew...but you said the smell of her pheromones drives you wild! That's the part where I had ta jump ship! You two were doin' so well! What happened ta make you doubt her?"

"Well..."

" _We both got in the shower."_ Terry told Judy. _"It's a beautiful shower with a high ceiling and plenty of room for love making. Anyway, we were soaping each other up. Tee-Hee! I was digging my paws into the folds of his adorable fat! I found two donuts and some spare change."_

" _I'm surprised you didn't find Jimmy Hoppa."_ Judy joked.

" _Oh 'Ha-Ha.' Anyway, I was both impressed and disappointed when I saw how big his cock was. Y'see my vagina is from a sex change operation so things aren't exactly the same. It's mostly made out of my former penis and the skin of my testies. The clitoris being from a cut up portion of my penis tip. The urethra is still there for ejaculating, but the ligament for erection is taken out. Because of that, I don't get much sensation from down there so I normally do anal, but his 'big boy' ain't gonna fit there and he wasn't having it either. I had to laugh. Do you know what he said?"_

" _No, but I'm afraid you're gonna tell me."_

"I told her, I'm not putting my pee-pee where you poo-poo!" Ben said.

"What are ya, six?!" Tim replied. "My wife let's me do anal all 'da time, especially now that she's preggers. It takes awhile ta prepare though. There's laxatives ta take and lube and what not. Done correctly, it can be fairly sanitary."

"Well I don't care." Ben said. "I think it's gross. Anyway, to my point. I was starting to soap her up from behind. It was pretty erotic, but as I was hugging her from behind and soaping her up, I noticed something..."

"Her muscles." Tim replied.

"Bingo! How did you know?"

"I told ya, I got ta first base wit her before things went south. I noticed her...hidden manliness. But...I mean, what's wrong wit her havin' a muscular body? 'Dere's women weightlifters and whatnot."

Clawhauser looked down in despair. "It's just...it's not what I was expecting. It didn't help matters that I shot my first load early during oral sex."

"...'Tanks for sharing?"

" _But he had plenty of bullets left in the chamber!"_ Terry replied to Judy. Their food had finally arrived.

The waitress was confused. "I have two other orders."

Judy pointed to Ben and Tim talking in the corner and the waitress followed over there grumbling under her breath. "Damn customers split up and make me walk an extra length! Shit!"

Judy was putting ranch dressing on her salad as Fangmeyer kept talking. _"He came so hard the first time, he damn near took my eye out! See this bruise around my eye? All him. Anyway, he was freaking out because it was like a fire hose, jetting out like crazy! I tried to swallow it so it wouldn't get all over the shower, but it started spraying out my nostrils!"_

Judy looked down at her salad now covered in white dressing. _"...I think I just lost my appetite."_

Terry took a big gasp of air and got out a handkerchief. _"AAAH...ACHOO!"_ She sneezed into the handkerchief. She looked at it and then showed Judy the white mucus in the center of it. _"See? It's still in there!"_

Judy jumped back, squirming away from the handkerchief. _"EWWWW! Don't show me that!"_

" _Sorry."_ Terry replied. _"Anyway, just when I thought it was over, his manhood sprung back up again!"_

"Fer 'da luvva God, you can skip some details!" Tim said to Ben.

"It's important for you to understand where I'm coming from, Tim." Ben replied.

"It's what yer comin' INTO that I don't need ta know about!"

"Anyway, I was still aroused and bent her over and inserted myself into her vagina. For the first time in my life, I entered into a woman. I was no longer a virgin."

" _And he started pounding it!"_ Terry said to Judy while punching the palm of her paw with her fist over and over. _"...and pounding it! But what was amazing is that...I could FEEL it! Really feel it! My vaginal walls and rectum were so close that he found my G-Spot!"_

Judy was confused. _"Your G-Spot? I didn't know men had those."_

" _It's right at the prostate and he put a ton of pressure there thanks to his size. The thickness of his penis also rubbed against my clit. And then, something incredible happened!"_

"And then, something HORRIBLE happened!" Ben said to Tim. "I made her orgasm."

Tim was confused. "Ummm...that's every guy's job. I mean, you completed the mission. So what's the freakin' problem?"

"Her...stuff, her ummmm...fluids. They were white and thick! And the smell...it's male semen! Also, she ejaculated from her quote/unquote 'clitoris' on the outside! Not inside! I know the difference!"

Tim was getting worried for Terry. "Oooh boy!"

" _So you had an orgasm! I don't see why you're making such a big deal out of this?!"_ Judy asked.

" _You don't understand Judy, I don't have much feeling there normally. At that moment, I officially became a real woman! I came from vaginal sex! Not anal, vaginal!"_

She stood up raised her fists and shouted so the whole cafe' could hear her. _"I CAME FROM VAGINAL SEX! I...AM...A...WOMAN!"_

Judy buried her face in embarrassment. The beaver waitress came over. "Congrats on the sex. Here's yer check...weirdo."

Tim looked over and heard her cheering. "Well she seems real happy. I don't get it Ben! What's the problem?"

"The worst thing is, I was still turned on by all of this! I ended up finishing in her a few seconds later."

Tim was even more confused. "You were...then what's the freakin' problem?! Yer attracted to her smell. Yer attracted to her body. She came, you came! Why is all of this so terrible?!"

"Because I'm not gay!" Ben shouted to Tim. Terry didn't hear it, but Judy's super hearing picked up on it.

"Bullshit!" Tim shouted. "If you were attracted ta her pheromones, something that I was repulsed by despite the fact 'dat I love her dearly...'den you're gay or at 'da very least bisexual. Deal wid it!"

"I can't be! I goes against my beliefs! My religion!"

For a moment, officer Wolford gave Ben the death stare. "Get up. We need ta talk outside."

"But we haven't..."

"NOW!"

Terry and Judy were surprised by Tim's yelling. "Excuse me ladies. Me and Ben have gotta step outside fer some air." He then pulled Ben out the door by his ear.

Terry look worried. _"What was that all about?"_

Judy knew, but wouldn't tell her. _"I'm...not sure. It's...it's probably nothing!"_

Just then, the annoying waitress came back. "You gonna take all day or are ya gonna pay?"

Judy looked by the window. _"As an officer, I'm noticing there's no food sanitation inspection grade posted on your front window anywhere."_

"...Lunch is on us! Thank you for your patronage...and not reporting us...please?"

Judy then turned back to Terry. _"So...were there any turn offs?"_

" _He needs to be more passionate. He won't cuss during sex and he hates when I do it. You should have heard him. 'Oh Terry! Oh baby! I'm going to ejaculate into your vagina!' He sounds like a doctor!"_

" _That's just his way."_ Judy said. _"Maybe it would be more passionate to say nothing and just let your grunts and moans do the talking."_

Terry thought about it for a moment. _"That...that actually sounds good! Thanks Judy!"_

 **A/N: Okay guys, No more italics.**

Wolford pulled Clawhauser out to the parking lot. Ben was confused. "What's this all ab-HOOF!"

Tim slugged Ben hard in the gut, causing the fat cheetah to fall to one knee. "Ooooh! My tummy!"

Tim was livid. He was snarling at Ben. "You bastard! Don't you DARE do this ta her!"

"Tim, I can't!"

"Like hell you can't! Let me get this straight, you are okay with her bein' trans, okay with havin' sex before marriage, but YOU bein' gay is where you draw the line?! How dare you! How dare you hurt her by denyin' who _you_ are!"

Ben coughed a little and caught his breath as he stood up. "I love her but...if I go along with this, then...then it would go against everything the church taught me! What I've been taught my entire life!"

"So what?...You 'tink God wants her ta be miserable her whole life?! You 'tink he...she...it wants you to deny who you are?! C'mon man! You can't do 'dat to her because...because..." Wolford started to tear up. "Because I did that to her! And I felt like a miserable pile of shit afterwoids! You _SNIFF!_ Y-Y-You KNOW 'da hell she's been through! I...I can't see her go through 'dat again! To hurt her because you refuse to admit what you are?! 'Dat's freakin' SELFISH!"

Tim grabbed Ben and slammed him against the ally wall. "You better think long a hard about this, because if you hurt her, I'll tear yer damn throat ou-"

Ben put his feet against the wall and shoved his legs out flipping himself over Tim and he managed to grab Tim by the back and got him in a headlock as they slammed back down to the ground.

"Don't threaten your co-workers! That's not nice!"

Tim couldn't get up. Clawhauser had him pinned well. "You!...You!...I just can't get up cuz yer too fat!"

Ben tried to calm him down. "You think I've not been giving this serious thought?! I'm at war with myself Tim! I'm not sure what to believe in anymore and it's driving me insane! I love her so much and I thought that since she changed into a woman, it was okay. Like it didn't count. Now...now I'm finding that my attraction to her may because I'm partially homosexual and that scares me! My life is falling to pieces!"

"Only if you let it." Tim said. "Will you let me up please?"

Ben picked Tim up off the ground. "GEEZ! Yer tough for a fat guy! 'Dose are some good moves ya got there."

"Thanks." Ben replied.

"Look Ben, I'm beggin' ya. Please...PLEASE give it some serious thought before you break up wit her. Okay? Don't deny how you feel inside. God wouldn't want 'dat for you. I'm sure!"

"Okay Tim. I've got a lot to think about today."

Judy and Terry came out as Ben and Tim were brushing themselves off.

"Are you two okay?" Judy asked.

"Just fine." Tim said as he was brushing some dirt off him. "Ben was just showin' me some off his cool judo moves. Right Ben?"

"Oh!...Right." Ben replied. "We were sparring. We'll try some more at the gym."

Fangmeyer ran up and hugged her boyfriend. "Goodbye honey! I can't wait until it's four. We can go home and do it all...night...long!" She went to give him a kiss on the lips, but he turned his head and he got a kiss on the cheek instead. He then pushed her away.

"R-Right! I'll see you later." Clawhauser then left with Judy and got into the side car of the motorcycle.

Confused and a little hurt, Terry just stood there as Judy and Ben left in the Bad Buster. Tim put a hand on Terry's shoulder, "C'mon! We gotta leave."

She got into the passenger seat as Wolford got into the driver's seat. She looked at the wolf suspiciously. "What did he say to you?"

"...Nothin'. We can talk about it later."

"LIAR!" She shouted. "What did he tell you?!"

Wolford sniffled a bit. "He...He's unsure now. About you."

Terry was shocked. "What?!"

"He's startin' ta realize he's gay or bi or whatevs, but he's very religious and traditional and he don't know how to deal wit' it."

"That's bullshit!" She shouted. "How does he not realize something like that for so long?!"

"He wuz in denial, I'm sure. He probably 'tought his attraction ta you meant he wasn't gay after all. But you've got him thinkin' differently now and it scares him."

She put her paw up to her mouth as tears came down. "What am I gonna do?!"

Wolford reached over and hugged her partner tight. "I dunno! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry Fangs! _SNIFF!_ I know deep down he loves ya! I-I'm sure!"

He kissed his partner on the forehead. "Now lissen up! I am NOT gonna let my little sis get hurt again! I'm gonna fight not just fer you, but fer him too. I'm not gonna let him be in denial of what he is! It's gonna be okay. Unnerstand me?"

She smiled and wiped a tear. " _SNIFF!_ Barely, what with that accent of yours."

He smiled and hugged her tight. "Let's go back ta work. Did any of us even get ta eat?!"

"Well, I certainly swallowed a lot of..."

"NO MORE DETAILS!"

Judy was riding with Clawhauser in the side car. She got a call from the station. _"All nearby units report in! There's a crime scene on 212 Clawson drive. Detective Oats needs help securing the premises. Please respond!"_

"This is officer Hopps. I'm close by and can be there shortly. Roger."

" _Roger that Hopps. I'll tell them you're on the way."_

Judy got off the radio with dispatch and looked over at her partner while still keeping her eyes directly on the road thanks to her wide range of vision. Clawhauser was looking at his engagement ring and was in deep thought.

Judy was no fool. She had kept her ears open the moment Wolford and Clawhauser started arguing. She heard everything and she knew Clawhauser was in a serious inner conflict. She decided to tell him something very private. Something he felt he needed to know.

"Ben. I'm going to tell you something. Something I haven't even told Nick."

"Oh?"

"I'm...I'm bisexual."

Clawhauser's jaw dropped open. "WHAT?!"

"It's true! I do mostly prefer males though, but back in my teen years, I had what's known by rabbits as a...'heat partner'."

"A heat partner?"

"Her name was Joyce. A bunny, like me. Well, I know now that I'm a hare, but that doesn't matter. She was one of my best friends and for the most part, that's all we were. Best friends. However, when our heat came into season, we'd help each other take care of it and for a short time, we'd be well, MORE than friends if you get my drift. Our parents approved since it's actually a common practice in rabbit circles and helped keep the population down. As far as girls go, she was my first and last...I really miss her sometimes."

"Why are you telling me this Judy?"

"Because I've been in the closet about this since I came to the city. Didn't want to scare away any potential male suitors."

Clawhauser rolled his eyes. "Yes, because nothing turns off a guy more than having a bi girlfriend."

Judy chuckled. "ANYWAY...I shouldn't be in denial of who I am. That's just wrong. I should have been on that float with Terry and Brie."

"Aren't you worried about how you'll be seen in the eyes of God?"

"Why? God made me this way didn't he? I didn't ask to be in heat at an age far younger than I can handle it and I didn't ask to be attracted to both sexes. I didn't even ask to be a bunny, but...here I am! And I'm proud to be who I am!...And so should you Clawhauser."

"You know hunh?"

Judy pointed at her long ears. "These ears aren't just for show."

"Judy...What do I do?"

"I can't answer that. Only YOU can. I will say this. Do what's right in your heart. Don't do something that's going to haunt you for the rest of your life, because that's no way to live!"

They arrived at the crime scene and Judy stopped the motorcycle. "We're here."

A horse known as detective Oats came out of the building. "Oh good! You got here quickly officers! Please take what you need and blockade the area. There's bound to be some lookie-loos sneaking around. I already have photographers and our science team helping the investigation. A word of warning before you go inside. It's very graphic. A double homicide."

"Looks like we get the grunt work." Judy said to Ben. Officer Hopps Wrapped the area around the building with police tape while Clawhauser put out orange cones to block any nearby parking.

"Do you need a chalk outline?" Judy asked.

"No need. Come inside and see for yourself. This may concern you if you're still in a relationship with that fox."

While Ben finished with blockading the outside, Judy went inside for a moment. Ben then saw her immediately run out to the sidewalk and start vomiting into the street drain. Scared and worried. Ben rushed to the aide of his partner. "Oh my gosh! Judy! Are okay?! How bad is it?!"

"It's bad! Blood everywhere! They were... _HHUURRWWAAARFF! GASP!_ They were hung and had their guts cut open! Don't look Ben!"

She then started to get up off her knees. "Pull yourself together Hopps!" She said to herself. "You're tougher than this!"

Clawhauser didn't listen to Judy. He went inside. There he saw the worst thing he'd ever witnessed. A wolf and a ewe were hung from a ceiling fan. Their bodies slowly spinning around as if in a dance. Their stomachs were cut open and their guts were pulled out and on display for everyone to see. On the wall, the word "SINNERS" was displayed in big letters made from the couple's blood.

Clawhauser was too shocked for anything. His eyes didn't blink. He couldn't vomit. He couldn't speak. He just stood there with his hands on his knees.

Detective Oats came up to him from behind. "Their name's are Joesph and Clara Howlson. They just got married and were on their honeymoon. We believe the homicide took place late last night as it was housekeeping that found the couple this morning. We talked to the clerk for anything unusual that happened last night and only two other people checked in. One of them checked out very early so he's under suspicion. We believe whoever did this hate crime may be connected with the Big Cheese."

Oats saw Clawhauser breathing heavily. Not able to look away. "Thank you for your help officer Clawhauser, but you don't need to see this any longer. I need you and Hopps to stay outside and keep this area safe from any interference so we can investigate. Okay?"

"Y-Yeah!...Yeah." Ben walked out of the crime scene and back outside where Hopps was waiting.

"You didn't puke." Judy noted. "You're a tougher cop than me."

Clawhauser said nothing.

Judy was concerned for her partner. "Ben...Ben are you okay?"

"I'm not okay." He replied. "I'm furious!"


	16. Chapter 15: Acceptance

Chapter 15: Acceptance

 **A/N: Okay, for those who skipped the two much more M-Rated chapters, here's the synopsis.**

 **Hopps, Clawhauser and the rest of the ZPD managed to pin the catnip thieves into an alley and lure them into a van using a laser pointer. The trick worked too well and Clawhauser ended up inside with the gang thanks to the lure of the laser. However, once they got the doors back open they were shocked to find that Clawhauser had beaten the five gang members on his own using Judo he previously trained for way back in his early academy days.**

 **After seeing the priest in a previous chapter and feeling good about himself after taking down so many perps, Clawhauser told Fangmeyer they would drop off their partners at a nearby cafe and go home to make love during lunch.**

 **Meanwhile, Nick's mother Vivian and her fiance Bobby Catmull had just finished mating, during which Bobby used her departed husband's pet name "My Flower" that Nick recommended. It worked well at first, but afterwards Vivian was a bit upset that Bobby would use that pet name as she saw it as him trying to replace her departed husband John. "My husband is dead. Long live my future husband." Bobby agreed never to use that pet name again.**

 **While officers Hopps and Wolford waited in the cafe for Clawhauser and Fangmeyer to finish mating back at their apartment. Wolford noted that Clawhuaser must be gay as he mentioned he was attracted to the smell of Fangmeyer's pheromones and that's the main thing that turned him off back when he and Fangmeyer tried dating as it's MALE pheromones and Wolford is straight.**

 **During their chat, Judy remembered to call Nick to check up on Michael. Nick's eldest adopted daughter, Spots answered the phone. She let Judy know that Nick was at the legal department while they were sitting in the mini-van. He was writing out his will and making Judy the legal Godmother of his children. Judy was a little concerned, but mainly wanted to talk to her little brother/son, Michael. Michael talked to her for a bit saying that he was happier than he was the previous night and that things were going better. He even said "I love you mommy" to Judy which made her feel all warm inside.**

 **Clawhauser and Fangmeyer came back. The men separated from the women so both could chat privately. Fangmeyer gushed about Clawhauser. Mentioning his stamina and that he was well endowed but mostly, that she made him feel like a real woman. Clawhauser however, found it a disaster as he's starting to realize that there's still a lot of male inside her even if she's not on the outside. However, he was still turned on by all of this making him realize that he might be gay or bisexual. He says he can't be due to his beliefs and religion and that he may have to break off the relationship with Fangmeyer. This made Wolford incredibly upset as he didn't want to see Fangmeyer hurt again after the way he hurt her years ago. The two got into a fight outside the cafe only to stop when the girls came out.**

 **As Hopps and Clawhauser were on their way to a call by detective oats, Judy revealed she was bisexual herself to console Clawhauser and that she overheard the fight. She could tell that Ben was in a huge inner-conflict between his feelings for Fangmeyer and his religious beliefs. She then told Ben that he needs to make this decision himself, but to make sure to follow what's right in his heart.**

 **They arrived at the crime scene Detective Oats directed them to only to find that there was a brutal murder inside. A newlywed wolf and sheep were gutted and hung from a ceiling fan with the words "SINNERS" written in blood on the wall by the bed. This made Judy throw up in disgust. Clawhauser was shocked to his core, but he wasn't sick, he was angry.**

 **This brutal crime scene will finally make Clawhauser decide his true feelings for Fanmeyer.**

 **In the meantime, let's see what's up with Nick and the kids.**

 **Wednesday, 1:05pm**

Nick with the kids in hand entered the Walrusmart. Nick got one cart and put Michael in the front of it while Spots got another one and sat Cotton and Petey side by side. They started to separate.

"Now remember guys..." Nick said. "You get one cart to fill up with whatever you want. My treat, so make it count, okay? I'm gonna take Mike with me to get some small furniture."

"Why can't I go with them?" Michael asked.

Nick thought for a moment. "Well..the cart can only seat two children and you said you didn't want anything else. If there's anything else you want, I'll be glad to get it for you. Okay?"

"Okay." Michael replied solemnly.

Nick rubbed his head and tried to cheer him up. "Now let's go get you and Petey bunk beds!...Oh! Judy probably wants me to check on some braille books as well, if they have any."

As Nick pushed the cart, Michael had a bored look on his face. He was fidgeting with his feet. "You okay pal?" Nick asked.

"Sorry sir. I'm just bored." The restless rabbit responded.

Nick had an idea up his sleeve. "Well then..." He lifted Michael out of the shopping cart. "Let's get you out of this boring shopping cart..." he spun him around and placed him back in the shopping cart, strapping him in. "...and put you in this...ROLLER COASTER!"

Michael huffed. "You can't fool me! It's the same shopping cart!"

"Oh yeah?" Nick lifted the front of the shopping cart and shook it, simulating a roller coaster ascending. He even provided sound effects. "Shick, shick, shick, shick!" He then rolled the cart forward and ran with it. Since it was the afternoon, there wasn't too many customers around so he could et away with running the cart down the aisles. He made sharp turns and dipped the cart up and down.

Michael laughed and cheered. "WHEEE!" Michael shouted.

He ran around the aisles for a bit longer. Twisting and turning along. Exhausted and out of breath, He ended the roller coaster ride as he started to pant. "Whew! _Hah! Hah! Hah!_ Okay. _Hah! Hah! Hah!_ I'm afraid the ride's over."

"That was fun!" Michael cheered. "Thanks Mr. Wilde!"

"Just... _Hah!_...Just call me Uncle Ni-"

"You looked like an idiot!" Shouted a stranger. Nick looked back and saw a mangy coyote giving him the stink eye.

Nick glared back at him. "The kid's blind. I'm just giving him some fun. You got a problem with that?"

"What I got a problem with is some sissy fox acting like a parent to some filthy prey! Yer supposed to eat yer food, not play with it!"

Nick had enough. First the incident at the restaurant the night before and now, this. Anger had started to fill inside of him and he directed it towards this mangy coyote who dared to accost him and Michael. His fur started to raise up, claws came out and his fangs were bared.

"What's your problem jerk?!" Nick said, resisting the urge to tear into tear into the coyote. "I'm just babysitting my girlfriend's kid. This has nothing to do with..."

The coyote laughed. "Your girlfriend's a rabbit?! That's hilarious! Man your pathetic! Too bad her and the kid will be torn to shreds when the great purge comes!"

Nick now realized this coyote may have information he needs. He started quickly walking towards him and was ready to fight. "What the hell do you know of the purge?! Who's the Big Cheese?!"

Michael was getting worried. "Mr. Wilde?"

"None of your business, prey fag!" Shouted the coyote.

That was it. Nick charged at the coyote and tackled him down. The two started biting and scratching at each other. Punches were thrown and Nick finally got the upper hand. Ignoring the blood dripping on his head, Nick got the coyote in a head lock. "WHO IS HE?!" Nick shouted. "TELL ME YOU SON OF A ROACH!"

The coyote could barely breathe as the struggled to push himself off of Nick. "ACCK! Get off me!" The coyote managed to free himself and started to run away. "You're all dead!" He shouted. "The king will return soon!"

Nick started to chase him down until Michael screamed. "MR. WILDE! DON'T LEAVE ME!"

Nick finally calmed down. He realized that he had let his temper get the best of him and it had scared poor Michael. He ran back over and gave a small hug to the frightened bunny. "I'm sorry Mike! I let my temper get the best of me. I guess your mom can call me a hypocrite now. You okay buddy?"

" _SNIFF!_ Yes. That was scary! What happened?"

"Some jerk was making specists threats. I lost my temper and got into a fight with him. Nobody...NOBODY makes threats to you or my family without a fight!"

Just then, Spots came by pushing her cart with Cotton and Petey sitting in the front of it. Cotton was crying her eyes out. "Dad! I heard fighting. Are you okay?"

"Yeah Spots. Some Big Cheese supporter was making threats and I chased him off." He turned his attention to Cotton. "What's wrong honey?"

"Spots p-p-put this.. _SNIFF!_...giant stereo in the cart and it's taking up all the spaaaace! I can't fit any more toys and clothes in here!"

"I only got the one item!" Spots argued.

Nick just rolled his eyes. "Look...I only have the bunk beds to get for now, so why don't I put the stereo in my cart and that cart now belongs to Cotton and Petey. Okay?"

"Whatever." Spots replied. "We'll go get some clothes. Try not to get into any street fights while I'm gone."

"Oh, Ha-Ha." Nick replied sarcastically. "The guy mentioned something about the return of the king. I'm gonna talk to the chief about that."

Spots left with the kids again. Nick turned his attention back to Michael. "Mike, I gotta make a call to my boss. It's private so I have to walk away from you for a bit, but don't worry. I'll have you in eyesight the whole time,.Okay?"

"Okay." Michael replied.

"If you get scared, just yell for me." Nick replied. He then walked about 30 feet away from the bunny in the cart and got on the phone to the ZPD. Moments later, he managed to contact chief Bogo.

"That's right chief, he said 'The king will return'. Any idea what he might have meant?"

" _Hmmm...No clue. In animal circles, I can only think of the king cobra."_

"In my religion, our deity is known as the fox king. Lions are often called king. The only big lion around here I can think about is former mayor, Lionheart. His prison term is almost over and he's been campaigning and doing interviews from his cell, but...he's been VERY pro prey in his interviews unlike current mayor, Donald Trunk's anti-pred rhetoric. I know I'm voting for Lionheart myself. Even after what happened last year."

" _Well...at least we now have SOME clue. I'll have detective Oats look into it."_

"Sir?...I don't suppose this is enough to get off doing my assignment tomorrow?"

" _No...It is not."_

"It's just...I'm a father now! These kids are just getting used to the city life and they're gonna see their father in prison! Not to mention that I have to keep this secret from Judy right when we're starting to mend our relationship! I have so many enemies in jail."

" _This assignment is our best opportunity to find out who the Big Cheese is. We HAVE to stop this before it breaks out into a full riot. I know how hard this is for you..."_

"No you don't!" Nick shouted. "I'm not just risking my life, I'm risking my relationship with Judy! My kids may never see me in the same way!"

" _You WILL do this assignment and that's an order! You will not tell a soul or else it may risk both your life and everything we've done to try to find this man's identity. Do I make myself clear?!"_

Nick gave out a big sigh. "Yes sir."

" _Good. I'll give you the details when you arrive at the precinct later. I'm sorry Nick, but this is our best shot to stop him."_

"I understand sir. I'll see you later." He hung up the phone and returned to Michael. "I hope I wasn't gone long champ." Let's go get that bed!"

"Okay sir." Michael replied.

"For the last time, you don't have to call me 'sir'. Call me uncle Nick!"

"Okay uncle Nick, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"...Why are you going to jail tomorrow?"

Nick's eyes just about bulged out of his head. "Ooooh boy! You heard that? I was 30 feet away!"

"I'm a rabbit! My hearing's real sensitive."

"...I'm in trouble."

 **Meanwhile, at the crime scene...**

Clawhauser was fuming. He was pacing up and down the police blockade. His fur was straight up and he had a angry squint in his eye. A hyena walked by and Ben yelled at him. "Back off! Can't you see this is a crime scene?! Police only!"

Judy slowly approached her angry partner and gently gave him a pat on the shoulder, but Ben quickly spun around and almost knocked the bunny over but she jumped back in time. He realized his mistake quickly. "Oh Judy! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Ben." Judy replied. "But what's gotten into you?! I've never seen you so mad!"

"You're gosh-darn tootin' I'm mad! You saw what was in there! How could someone do something like that?!" Clawhauser was so upset that he started to cry.

Judy bowed her head in sorrow. "I...I don't know Clawhauser. Some people are just full of hate."

As tears came down his cheeks, Ben punched at the nearby wall. "HOW DARE THEY KILL THEM FOR BEING IN LOVE?! Who the heck are they to say who can love another?! Nobody! Nobody can tell you who you can or cannot love! That's THEIR business! A man can love a woman! A prey can love a pred! A woman can love another woman and a man can love another man and it's nobody's business but theirs! Nobody has a say otherwise! Not even... _GASP!_ NOT EVEN GOD HIMSELF!"

Ben collapsed to his hands and knees sobbing. Judy ran over to help comfort him. She rubbed his back. "Oh Judy! I was so wrong! I've known how I felt for Fangmeyer for a year now and I let my traditions get in the way of my love for her! I'm so, so stupid! I'm...I'm gay dangit! I'm bisexual and I shouldn't be ashamed of who I am! I love Terry so darn much! I can't just go by what the church says is right, I have to do what's right in my heart and what my heart tells me is that I love Terry Fangmeyer just the way she is and I wanna marry her!"

Judy helped pull Clawhauser up and gave him a big hug. "That's wonderful to hear! I'm glad you finally accepted who you are."

"We can't let those...I dunno...haters? Yeah. We can't keep letting those haters do this! We have to put a stop to it! I'll do anything to make sure this never happens again!"

Judy gave it some thought. "Well...Nick wants to organize a group known as 'Preds for Peace'. It's like a neighborhood watch where they would help stop any prey or pred hate-related crimes."

Clawhauser finally grew a smile on his face. "That sounds great! I'm in!" He whipped out his cell phone and got on the phone with Nick.

 **Moments earlier...**

Nick was sweating. He wasn't supposed to tell anyone. He was even vague with Spots, but now Judy's son knew the truth and if he told Judy, it could ruin the mission.

"Mike, buddy. Look...you have to forget what you just heard."

"Why?"

"It's a secret. I'm being put on a top secret assignment tomorrow. Everyone's gonna think I'm a criminal, but I'm not. I'm going to jail to get information to nab a bad guy, but it can only work if nobody knows about it. Not even your mom. Understand?"

"I guess so, but...I want something in return!" Michael smiled.

"Extorting me to get what you want hunh? Your mom would be proud! So what do you want?"

"I wanna get a nice gift for Christine. Maybe a necklace or a fancy bracelet!"

Nick smiled. "So you wanna woo my daughter hunh? Sly bunny. You got it. Just remember, this is top secret. Even more so than you and Peter being secret brothers. Okay?"

"Okay uncle Nick." Michael was then in deep thought. "Uncle Nick?"

"That's my name!"

"If you marry my mommy, will Christine be my sister?"

"Yeah. Foster sister. Why?"

"Doesn't that mean we can't get married?"

Nick had to laugh. "Well, you two aren't blood. If there was any legal reason, we'd just have to disown one of you just before you got married. But Mike, you got a long, long time to go before you have to worry about that. Okay?"

"Okay uncle Nick! I hope my mommy marries you. You're real nice!"

Nick smiled. "Yeah, I fool a lot of people that way." Just then his phone rang. He saw on the smart phone that it was officer Clawhauser. "Oh, hey Benji! What's up? I'm just shopping with my kids."

" _Judy told me you're doing a program called 'Preds for Peace' to help protect prey and prey/pred couples?"_

"Yeah, that's right! I'm just laying the ground work right now. Need a website and everyth-"

" _I want in!"_

Nick was surprised. "Really? Well that's great! Sure Benji! You can be one of the founders! There's just me and my daughter Spots right now. See if any of the other ZPD want in, would you?"

" _Sure thing Nick! I've...I've seen something horrible today and I can't stand for this stuff to happen any longer! I'll talk to you later...OH! One more thing! I've come to the realization that I'm bisexual."_

"Well, I'm glad you finally came out buddy. To be honest, some of the ZPD were taking bets."

" _HAHA! Well I'm not surprised! By the way, Judy's bisexual too! See ya later!"_

He then hung up. Leaving Nick's jaw wide open. "Uhhh...Wha...Whaaaa?"

Michael looked at Nick with curiosity. "Uncle Nick? What does 'bisexual mean?"

"...Can you give me a moment super-ears? I'm still trying to process this."

Just then, Spots and the other kids came with a basket full of clothes and toys. "You STILL haven't gotten the bunk beds dad? What's up? Why do you have that look on your face?"

Michael spoke for Nick who was still in shock. "Uncle Nick's friend, Benji called. He wants to join Nick's peace group. Beji said he was...bicentennial? and that mommy is too!"

"Woah! Judy's gay?! That's awesome! When I'm 21, we can go to the gay bars together and she can be my wingman!"

Nick finally snapped and spoke up. "BI-sexual! Not gay, bi! Bi! Bi! Bi!"

"Thell! Thell! Thell!" Shouted Petey.

Nick tried to explain to Michael. "It means she likes girls and boys."

"So?" Michael asked.

"Okay, you know how you like Cotton? Like you like to kiss her sometimes?"

"Yeah?" Michael said with his ears blushing.

"Well, would you kiss Petey like that?"

"...EWWW! No!"

"Well, that means you're straight. You're mom likes to kiss both boys AND girls. She's like, half gay. Understand?"

"Ooooh! Then I might have TWO mommy's someday!"

"Like heck you will!" Just then, Nick's phone rang once again. It was Judy. "Hey Carro-"

" _CLAWHAUSER WASN'T SUPPOSED TO TELL YOU THAT!"_ She shouted into the phone almost taking Nick's ears off. His head. _"I was going to tell you when the time was right! You didn't tell Michael, did you?!"_

"No. I can honestly say that I personally did not tell the kids."

" _Oh, thank goodness!"_

"I didn't have to because your son, Super-Ears heard everything and blabbed it all to the others."

" _That's...just...great! Nick, I just want you to know, I'm mostly into guys. I only had a girlfriend back in high school and it was mostly to get over my periods of heat! She was a heat partner! Lots of bunny girls do it!"_

"Would you relax fluff? I'm perfectly okay with it! By the way, is your old girlfriend still single? Could make for a fun honeymoon if we ever get married."

" _Don't. Make. Me. Kill. You."_

"Right, got it. Like I said, it's not a big deal hon bun. I'll see you at four, okay?"

" _Okay. Give Michael a hug for me! See you later!"_

"Later Carrots!" Nick then hung up the phone. He then turned his attention to Michael. "You heard the lady!" Nick then picked up Michael and gave him a hug much to Michael's disgust.

"GAAH! Okay! I heard mom! You can stop now!"

"Oh I can stop hunh?" Nick replied. "Well...not before munching on your face!" He then kissed and nibbled Michael on the cheeks and forehead. "Nom! Nom! Nom! Nom!"

Michael giggled. "Hee!-Hee! Okay! Okay! That's enough!"

"Alright then! I'll have my lovely assistant, Cotton finish the job!" Spots? Can you pull Petey out?"

Spots took Petey out of the cart and Nick placed Michael in Spots' cart and strapped him in next to Cotton. He then put Petey in his cart. "Cotton? Continue kissing operations!"

Cotton reached over and started hugging and kissing Michael on the cheek, leading him to giggle more.

"Hee!-Hee!-Hee! Oh! Mr. Wilde! What about..y'know that present?"

Nick winked."You mean the one for _Judy_? Don't worry. Me and Petey will pick her up something nice. Spots, why don't you pick out some music C.D.'s for yourself and get the kids some cartoon DVD's while I FINALLY pick up that dang bunk bed!"

An hour later, they finished their shopping and headed back to the apartments to clear out the Tuckenroll's old junk and make the place their new home.


	17. Chapter 16: The Bouncing, Binking, Bubbl

Chapter 16: The Bouncing, Binking, Bubbly, Bunny

 **Wednesday, October 28th 3:45pm**

 **A/N It was fun to write a happy, silly Judy for a change. I make her the straight woman so often that sometimes her character can be a bit dull. Also, she's taken a lot of crap of the past week in this story and "Sacrifices" that's it's nice to give her a happy moment for once.**

" **Tell her about it" lyrics by Billy Joel**

Nick was driving with his family and Michael in tow towards the ZPD offices. They had just finished getting the apartment all ready for the kids. They had to throw out a bunch of the Tuckenroll's old items which Suzie the giraffe was nice enough to watch over while the Tuckenrolls themselves finally came by to pick up their items. There was just one problem, Cotton found an..."item" of sorts in her new room under the mattress and the kids were arguing why they couldn't keep it.

"It was mine daddy!" Cotton said while pouting. "Finders keepers! I was gonna give that toy rocket to Michael!"

While keeping one hand on the wheel Nick rubbed the top of his head in frustration while Spots had to stop from laughing.. "For the last time sweetie, it was NOT a toy rocket and definitely not for kids!"

"It was shaped like a rocket or missile and it shook when you flipped a switch! How is it not a toy!"

"Just...trust me on this, okay?! It's kind of a toy, but not for little kids."

"Why?"

"...I can't say. You're too young to understand."

"WHY?!"

Spots patted her father on the shoulder. "Don't worry dad. I got this." She turned around to talk to the three children. "It goes up your butt!"

"EWWW!" The three little ones yelled from the back seat.

Nick was furious. "You said you had it!"

"I did! Why beat around the bush? Which coincidentally, is what it's..."

"I know! I know! You are HORRIBLE sometimes!"

Cotton was panicking. "I touched it! I touched it! Quick! Give me some of that antibacterial stuff!"

Spots squirted some of the lotion in her hands. "Let that be a lesson to you woolly bully. Never touch anything strange if you don't know what it is and if you find something weird, ask for an adult for help."

"You're right." Cotton said while rubbing the lotion on her hands. "Adults are gross!"

Spots looked at Nick like she was expecting some sort of apology, "Well?"

Nick sighed. "While I think that could have been handled better, I guess honesty is the best policy."

"Thanks! I would have kept it for myself, but it was made for a tiny armadillo."

"Well, I know you're coming of age, but I'd rather you didn't..."

"Besides, mine's WAY bigger."

Nick immediately started slamming his head against the steering wheel. "Please. _SLAM!_ Don't. _SLAM!_ Tell. _SLAM!_ Me. _SLAM!_ These. _SLAM!_ Things!"

 **Meanwhile...**

Officers Hopps and Clawhauser were heading back to the ZPD. Hopps was in a better mood than hours before because she was on the way to see her son. Clawhauser was still mulling over what he saw back at the crime scene. The dark clouds looming overhead with the threat of rain matched his current mood. Hopps saw her partner's depressed funk and tried to cheer him up.

Judy tried to make a joke. "Look at us! Two bisexuals in a motorcycle. Guess this makes it a bicycle!"

Ben said nothing. He just looked away at the streets speeding by.

"Jeez Ben! Normally, you're so happy and cheerful. Now, you're all mopey! Guess that makes you...bi-polar!"

"Not funny Judy." Ben replied.

"Oh c'mon! Stop being so gloomy! I know the scene was real bad over there, but it finally opened your eyes to your true self! Besides, it's not like we had to do all the dirty work like all the investigation stuff or all that paperwork. We just blocked the place off and kept people out. The mountain lion who checked out early was arrested and interviewed and it looks like he's innocent. We don't have anything else to do with this case unless they need witnesses that saw the room."

Ben still didn't reply. Judy was getting worried. Rain started to lightly drizzle down on them.

"Is it Terry? Are you worried Wolford told her what you told him?"

Ben started rubbing his face and finally tears started to come down his fat, fuzzy cheeks. "Why did I say those things?! He's...he's gonna tell her and my engagement will be over! Oh God! I should have been honest with myself long ago! I love her so much, I'd die for her! I'd do anything for her! She's just...she's perfect for me! She's everything I've ever wanted in one person! There's no one on this earth I wanna be with more than her and now I might have screwed it all up! _BAWW-HAWW-HAAAWWW!_ "

"Relax Ben. If you tell her the things you're telling me right now, I'm sure she'll still love you. You were just a bit confused on your feelings! If you really want to show how much you love her, then come at her with everything you just told me and more! Hold nothing back!"

"I guess you're right Judy. I should..."

Judy started singing. _"Tell her about it! Tell her everything you feeeel! Give her every reason to accept that you're for reeeal!"_

"Okay, Judy. I..."

" _Tell her about it! Tell her all your crazy dreeeeams! Let her know you need her. Let her know how much she meeeeeeans!"_

"Okay Dodger! I got it!"

They arrived at the ZPD parking garage. Luckily they were inside the triple-decker parking space as the rain started to pour down. Ben saw officer Fangmeyer and Wolford's car and made a mad dash for it. "TERRY!" He shouted as he ran. The walls of the garage echoing his yells. "TERRY!" He had to stop half way to catch his breath. Terry and Tim got out of the squad car. They saw Ben approaching. Terry glared at him with tears in her eyes.

Wolford patted her on the back. "Be tough Fangs! Don't go easy on 'im. Let him know how much he hurt you!"

Ben caught his breath and barreled forward. "TERRY! Terry sweetie!"

"Don't you 'sweetie' me!" she growled. "I heard all about you not being turned on by my muscular body!"

"That's not true at all!" He argued. "Being turned on is what scared me, but I was wrong. I didn't know who I was sexually. I was just confused because of my beliefs! But now..."

"BUT NOTHING! I'm not gonna wait around for you to make up your mind! I need you to love me for who I am!"

"That's what I'm trying to tell.."

"SHUT UP!" She snarled. "You're such a coward. You don't know who you are?! I knew who I was when I was five years old! FIVE! Nobody supported me! Not my mother! DEFINTELY not my father! Not even my sisters! Only my brother has finally started to come around! I had to fight for who I was and my reward was to get beaten up and shamed for it! Even when I was 18 and on my own, any date I went on, I had to come out of the closet every single time and it was a disaster! I fought HARD to be who I am despite all the hatred and prejudice that came with it! If you can't do the same, then you're just a coward!"

"Yeah!" Wolford growled "You put 'da 'pussy' in 'pussycat'!"

Judy interrupted. "Let him give a chance to explain!"

"Why should I?" Terry snarled. "After what he said?!"

"I knew this might happen, so just...listen." Judy replied. She then pressed the button on her carrot pen.

" _I love her so much, I'd die for her! I'd do anything for her! She's just...she's perfect for me! She's everything I've ever wanted in one person! There's no one on this earth I wanna be with more than her and now I might have screwed it all up! BAWW-HAWW-HAAAWWW!"_

Ben looked over at Judy. "Do you ALWAYS record what everyone says to you?"

"I believe in A.B.R. Ben. Always Be Recording! You never know what juicy info you'll pick up!"

Terry was shocked at what she heard. She realized he still loved her. A smile came over her face. "Ben..."

That was the ice breaker Ben needed. He grabbed her paws in his and knelt down. "Terry, everything you said was right. I WAS a coward! I was ashamed of being who I am and I was wrong for doing so. So let me say this...I'm not homosexual."

Terry was confused. "What?!"

"I'm not heterosexual either. I'm...probably bisexual, but mostly, I'm TERRYsexual! Terry...I believe God made you the way you are for a reason...for me."

"Well that's a bit egotistical." She replied with a smirk.

Ben chuckled. "Just hear me out. For a bisexual like me, you're perfect! You're a woman who was born a man. You have all the female parts that arouse me but also the huge muscles and male pheromones that drive me wild too! Everything about you drives me wild! You're one hundred percent perfect just the way you are! You worked so hard to become a woman, but you know what? You're BETTER than a woman! You're Terry Fangmeyer and there's nothing on this earth quite like you!"

Wolford started to tear up. "Aww man! _SNIFF!_ 'Dat was 'da beautiful thing I evah hoid! I think I'm gonna cry!"

While Ben was still on one knee, he proposed. "Terry Fangmeyer, will you marry me?"

Terry chuckled. "Silly! We're already engaged!"

"I mean now! Right now! There's a small chapel at the hospital across the street and the legal department's just a few blocks over. We can get our licenses and be married in no time! We'll have a separate wedding later."

"Do it!" Wolford cheered with tears in his eyes. "I'll be 'da best man! I'm so happy fer youse! I can't stop cryin' dangit!"

Terry was apprehensive. "Ben. A-Are you sure? I mean...we just got engaged yesterday and we've been dating for less than a week! I know I've been rushing things, but this is REALLY rushing things!"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life! Terry...I saw something HORRIBLE today! Me and Judy had to blockade a crime scene where a wolf and a sheep were hung from a ceiling fan and their stomachs cut open and their guts hanging out with the word _'sinners'_ written on the wall."

Terry was horrified. She lifted a paw to her muzzle. "Oh my GOD!"

"They did that to frighten off those who didn't go by their own hate-filled beliefs, but instead, it only made me mad and strengthened my resolve! NOBODY tells Benjamin Clawhauser who he loves and who he can't! I love you and I wanna marry you and nobody on this earth can stop me!"

Tears poured unapologetically down Fangmeyer's cheeks. "Oh...BEN! YES! Let's elope!"

Wolford, still running happy tears of joy, hugged the both of them. "YAAAY! 'Dis is wonderful! We're gettin' married!"

Ben and Terry gave him a puzzled look. Wolford realized what he said and backed off. "I mean.. _.you two_ are getting married. Not me, I'm already happily hitched. That would just be weird and...OH YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!"

"Congrats you two!" Judy said. She then heard a loud honk. She looked over and saw Nick's head hanging his head out of his new mini-van parked about 100 feet away.

"Hey Carrots! Over here!" The red fox shouted. Judy ran so fast, Nick could hardly get his door open before she came slamming up to it. "OW! Watch it fluff! You dinged my tail!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" Shouted the bunny. "Where's Michael?!"

"In here mommy!" Michael replied.

Judy squealed with delight. She pulled on the van door handle to get it open. "EEEEE! Open! Open! Open! Somebody unlock this thing!"

While Judy pulled hard on the handle for dear life, Nick just slid the van door to the right with Judy still hanging on. "Dumb bunny."

Judy had an embarrassed look on her face. "Oh!...Heh-Heh." She jumped into the car and crawled over to Michael. "There you are my sweet, little angel!" She didn't even unstrap him before she started hugging him and kissing him all over. "Oooh I missed you so much! Let me get you out of this seat. I'm gonna carry you the rest of the day!"

Judy pulled Michael out of his seat so hard she fell backwards with him and they rolled out of the van. She paused for a moment, but both her and Michael were fine and they both started laughing. Judy grabbed him tight and started running around the van at high speeds. Jumping onto the hoods of other cars and jumping onto the roof of the van. Nick was completely confused at this spectacle.

"What on earth are you doing?!" Nick asked Judy.

"I'm binking!" Judy replied with Michael laughing in her arms. "I'm totally binking out!"

"..Binking?!" Nick asked.

"Don't you know anything about bunnies? It's what we do when we're super happy. We run around and jump everywhere. It's fun!"

"It looks exhausting." Nick replied.

"You're just jealous because you can't jump as high as me! I gotta clock out and get changed. I'll see you inside the therapists office. Bye!" Judy ran fast into the ZPD headquarters while holding onto Michael.

Nick just looked back and shouted. "I'm not jealous! You're just silly!" He then turned his attention to the kids. "Spots. Help Cotton and Petey out please?"

"Sure dad!" The hyena responded. She undid the straps on Cotton and gently pulled her out of the van and handed her, her crutches. As she was pulling Petey out she heard a loud _"THUMP!"_ on the back of the van.

"What the?..." She pulled Petey out of the van and went to the back only to find Cotton laughing her head off as Nick was laying on a car hood rubbing a bruise on his head.

Nick chuckled with embarrassment. "I didn't make the roof."

Spots and Petey started to laugh. "Were you trying to bink?!" she asked.

"Okay, maybe I was a little jealous. It looked like fun!" They all had a huge laugh as they made their way inside the ZPD to the therapists office.

 **Meanwhile...**

"NO!...NO! YOU ARE NOT GETTING MARRIED TODAY!" Bogo shouted at Clawhauser and Fangmeyer.

"Why not?!" Ben replied. Followed by a "YEAH!" from Terry and Tim.

"You really are the fastest cheetah aren't you? You two just started dating less than a week ago and you only got engaged last night! What is going on?!"

"Chief, I've never been sure of a decision in my life as I am of marrying her." Ben replied.

The chief took a moment to think. "...You got laid, didn't you?"

"Yes sir." Clawhauser replied. "This afternoon. But that has nothing to do with it! Well...somewhat. I mean...I finally realized I'm bisexual. There's no other woman on earth I wanna be with. Not even Gazelle!"

Wolford backed Clawhauser up. "Look chief, I'm very, VERY protective of Fangs here and if I say Ben's 'da right man for her, you can take it to 'da bank!"

Clawhauser looked sternly at Bogo. "This is my choice to make. We can do this with or without you, but...sir...after my father died five years ago, you are the closest thing to a dad I've had in a long time. Even though we'll have a ceremony later, I really want you to be with us for this."

Bogo sat back in his chair and gave a heavy sigh. "Thank you for that Clawhauser, but...you won't be going to the hospital chapel to get married. I'LL marry you two. I have a license, so I'm a marriage commissioner. Heh! Rarely had to use it though."

Ben got so excited that he ran up and hugged the chief. "Thank you Bogo! Thank you! Awww! I love you chief!"

"Get down Clawhauser! Now go get your marriage certificates or none of you are getting married!"

Ben and Terry left the office with Tim behind them. Tim stopped the two of them. "I'm gonna wait here fer you two. Hurry back!"

"Okay!" Shouted Fangmeyer as she ran off with Clawhauser.

Wolford just smiled as he saw his two friends leave. "Awww! I just love, love! That reminds me..." He got on his smart phone with his wife. "Auburn! Hey babe, how you doin'?! I just wanted to say how much I love you sweeheart. You're everything ta me...No, I'm not drunk! It's 4pm fer cryin' out loud! Lissen, I'm just waitin' on Ben and Terry right now. 'Dey're gonna elope! Can you believe it?! Say...did you know there's like, a male G-Spot? 'Dats what Terry told me. Anyway, ya wanna get a little kinky tonight? Y'know how you've been wantin' me ta try out that thing you bought?...Yeah 'dat. Let's do it tonight!...Oooooh! My baby's excited! See ya later hon!" He clicked off his smart phone.

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick sat in Jane Doe's office with his children. Spots had Petey in his lap as usual and Nick held Cotton on his lap.

"Will it be much longer daddy?" The little lamb asked.

"Probably about 2 to 3 more chapters. I swear, this story is taking forever to wrap up!" Nick replied.

"I meant when Judy gets here!"

"Oh! She should be here any minute now. She said she was gonna clock out and change into her civilian clothes."

Jane Doe spoke up. "While we're waiting and since you're paying my overtime, is there anything you kids would like to get off your chest?"

"Hell no!" Spots replied. "I've had enough from yesterday."

"I'm good." Nick replied. He then looked at Peter who was staring at the ground. "Is there anything you'd like to say Pete?"

The little rabbit refused to look up. "Ummmm...No sir."

Nick knew he was holding back, but didn't want to pressure him. He turned his attention to Christine. "Cotton honey, anything you wanna say about Bunnyburrow or what happened?"

The lamb fidgeted for a bit on his lap. "Well...I'm sorry daddy, but...when I first met you, I was scared of you."

"I know." Nick replied. "I get that a lot."

"But...but not only that, I lied to you! I wanted you to adopt me so bad so I wouldn't get eaten by the hawks!"

Jane was surprised at that sentence. "Excuse me?"

Nick looked up at the doe. "It's a long story and I'll go into detail later. Basically, some hawks had invaded Bunnyburrow and were eating the elderly and children with special needs. Children were being sacrificed every Sunday. Me and some other foxes put a stop to it. It was poorly written, but it had it's moments."

The doe was shocked. "My word!" She looked at Cotton. "And you were up for sacrifice?"

Cotton teared up a little. " _SNIFF!_ Yes. Th-that whole week, the kids stayed away from me. And...and...I felt doomed. I knew feeding day was coming. If it wasn't for Spots trading places, I might be dead right now! I'm so sorry daddy! I used you so I could live!"

"There's nothing to be sorry for pumpkin." Nick replied. "I knew that's why you wanted me to adopt you, so I just had to work extra hard to make sure you still loved me afterwards. You still want to be part of this family, right?"

"Oh, of course!" She cried. "I love you and Spots and Petey so much!" She gave Nick a big hug.

Nick smiled as he embraced his daughter. "I love you too sweetheart. Anything else you want to share?"

"Well...the shack was scary, but my cage was in the back so I didn't see the bad stuff Judy saw. I don't have nightmares or anything."

"You should be just fine then." Jane said. Just then, Judy came in the door while still holding Michael. The room went quiet as she walked over and sat next to Nick and the others.

She let out a deep sigh. "Well...Let's get started. Do we have a good amount of time?"

"Sure!" Nick replied. "We got most of the next chapter."

Cotton got mad. "Daddy! No more 4th wall jokes!"


	18. Chapter 17: Confessions of A Cereal Eate

Chapter 17: Confessions of A Cereal Eater. Part One

 **A/N: Phew! This was a long chapter to write! Long enough that it ended up in two parts. I should be wrapping this story up and heading into "A fox in the jailhouse" soon. Sorry it's been taking so long. I'm my own worst editor.**

Judy just sat there with her son upon her lap. All eyes in the room were on her. Well, except for Michael of course. I mean, he's blind y'know? Technically, his eyes were staring at a doorknob across the room. Anyway, Judy nervously hugged Michael from behind nervously as she was waiting to hear from the therapist.

Jane Doe finally spoke up. "Nick was telling me that the day after your big fight is when you began being abusive to him and your family. Did that just start this week or has there been an issue of abuse and anger with you before?"

Judy was upset and feeling defensive. "And did he tell you that during the big fight is when he leaked out the truth to me that I was adopted?!"

"This is not about Nick, miss Hopps. This is about your sudden fit of violence."

Judy squeezed Michael and gave out a big sigh. "Finding out I was the one that was adopted changed EVERYTHING for me. Because I was always the go-getter and big achiever, I was put under a lot of pressure as a child. My parents also put a lot of pressure on my fellow siblings all because I did so well in school. 'Why can't you be more like Judy?' They'd say. 'Look at all the good grades Judy gets!' Many of my brothers and sisters resented me because of this. But what REALLY pissed me off is that they knew...THEY KNEW the whole reason I was studying so hard was to get into the police academy and they STILL didn't approve of that! Oh sure, get good grades, just don't try to achieve your life goals with them! All that did was put pressure on me from both sides! My siblings constantly fought with me because I was the favorite, while my parents didn't want me to achieve my dreams! So yeah, sometimes I'd get into fist fights with my siblings. Mostly my older brothers. After some counseling, that finally went away up until...that night."

Nick rubbed his head. "I'm sorry I blurted it out like that, but it didn't help that you kept investigating it and harassing your mother who wanted you to leave it alone."

"I know it's just...I started to think I was better than all of them because I was working so hard to achieve my dreams while the rest of them were happy being carrot farmers only to find out that it was biological for me to do so! Hares tend to be more adventurous than bunnies. My blood mother was a spy and my blood father was a military man! No wonder I wanted to become a cop! But did my foster mom and dad tell me any of this?! NO! For 25 years I thought I was the only bunny who wanted something different out of life, so when I found out the truth, it really hurt me and so...so I slapped my mother across the face. I...I know it was wrong but all that anger and resentment just came out of me at once!"

"Along with kicking me in the back to wake me up." Nick replied. "Don't forget that."

"You're right. I'm sorry. It's just...I was really mad at you at the time."

"Well what about those times at work when you'd slug me in the shoulder or kick me hard just for making a silly joke?!"

Judy was surprised at the remark. "What?! Oh c'mon! Those were just little love taps! Besides, you're a lot bigger than me!"

"You're a lot stronger than me!" Nick argued. "Remember when we were being chased by a giant soccer ball twice as big as our car? You did a flip kick and smashed the giant ball into the truck full of perps and knocked them down. The amount of leg strength to do that is insane! Then you punch and kick me on a regular basis!"

"But...but...those are just teasing punches."

"They hurt Judy!" Nick shouted. "My back still has a bruise from where you kicked it!"

Judy was ashamed of herself and buried her face on top of Michael's head. "I'm so sorry Nick. I thought that since you were twice as big as me, those punches and kicks wouldn't have much effect. I didn't realize how much I was hurting you and...part of me thought it was okay to just take my aggression out on you because you're this big fox and I'm a small bunny. I should have known better."

Nick gave a smile. "You may be a small bunny fluff, but you're stronger than steel. It's...okay. I should have made it more clear how much you little 'love taps' hurt, but my pride got in the way."

Cotton was squirming in Nick's lap. "Daddy, I have to go potty!"

"Alright then." Nick replied. "Spots. Give me Petey and you take Cotton to the bathroom, okay?"

"Why me?!" The hyena asked.

"Because you tend to favor Petey more than Cotton and you two should spend more time together. Besides, I can't exactly go into the little girls room y'know?"

"FINE!" She growled. She set down Petey who ran over to Nick and she then picked up Cotton and took her outside the room.

Nick then picked up Petey and set him on his lap. He then smiled at Judy. "Look! We're bunny lap buddies!"

Jane Doe interrupted. "I think we're going off track here. You have a lot of animosity towards your parents. Let's focus on that."

"Aminocity?" Michael asked.

"Animosity sweetie." Judy replied. "It means a have some anger and resentment issues towards my mom and dad."

"Oh!" Micheal responded. "So do I! They're jerks!"

Jane Doe was confused. "What's going on? Aren't YOU the mother of this child?"

"Well, yes! I adopted him from my own mother. He was my little brother before that."

"Oh." The doe responded. "What made you decide to adopt a blind child?"

"To keep him from getting killed!" She yelled. "We didn't know it at the time, but the children were being sacrificed to hawks who had invaded Bunnyburrow. They were taking the elderly and handicapped children every Sunday "to lift our burden" they'd say and then they'd eat them! If I hadn't figured out what was going on, Michael would have been killed!"

"My daddy tricked me!" Michael yelled. "I lived with 300 brothers and sisters, so getting some play time with daddy is super special. So when I found out he was gonna spend the afternoon with me, I was so happy!" Tears were coming down Michael's cheeks. "Bu-But he lied to meeeee! _SNIFF!_ He...he was keeping me at the pick up spot by having me go through a maze so the hawks could grab me! My old mommy didn't do anything! They didn't care!"

"That's...not totally true." Judy said. "Both of them were crying. Our mother especially. I saw dad weeping when he was playing with you. They didn't want you to go, but if they didn't, the hawks would take even more of your brothers and sisters!"

"If she cared so much, then why did she dump me on you?! You didn't even want me at first!"

"I was scared!" Judy admitted. "I didn't know anything about raising a blind child, but mom felt so guilty about letting you get sacrificed, that she felt she was no longer worthy of being your mother. Besides, I did yell out that I would adopt you in order to save you and I gave my word. Mike...I think mom knew that I would do everything in my power to keep you safe. You weren't dumped on me. You were a gift. Are you still mad at me for taking you from Bunnyburrow?"

"No! I was really sacred at first but...not anymore. I've had more love and attention here than, than I EVER had at home! EVER! Back home... _SNIFF!_ mommy and daddy and my sisters and brothers would all ignore me! They were afraid of how to treat me! Bu-bu-but my new mommy has been so nice to me! _SNIFF!_ And...and Grandma and Bobby spoiled me! Bobby got me this nice harmonica! And Petey!...I-I-I was so mean to him, but he didn't stop being nice to me! He's like a big brother to me and I love him! I loved Cotton since I first met her and Spots is nice too. And uncle Nick...uncle Nick is REALLY nice! I was bored shopping with him and he turned the shopping cart into a roller coaster! Then, he defended me against this mean coyote guy and beat him up and bit him!"

Judy turned her head slowly over to with a look of shock. "You...what?!"

Nick went on the defense. "I was gonna bring this up! I swear!"

 **Meanwhile...**

Spots was waiting outside of the bathroom stall for Cotton to finish her business.

"What's taking so long?" The hyena said. "Did you fall in?!"

"No, but"…... _PLOP!_ "That did!"

Spots laughed. "Ha-Ha! Good one Christy!"

Cotton was surprised. "You called me Christy instead of Cotton!"

"Yeah, well...Dad calls you 'Cotton' and me 'Spots', but I think we're more than foster sisters, we're friends!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! Out of our whole family, you and me have known each other for the longest time from back in the orphanage."

Spots unintentionally brought back bad memories which Cotton called her on. "You and the others used to call me 'crazy legs' and you barely talked to me! You stayed in that room, always angry."

Spots looked down in guilt. "I know and I'm sorry I called you 'Crazy Legs'. That was mean. But don't forget, I saved your life by switching places with you! I'm just saying...we were foster sisters before we ever knew dad and Petey so...I think calling you Christy is more personal. You can call me 'Viv' okay?"

"Okay!" Cotton replied cheerfully. "Ummm Viv? Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Well...I thought about it and dad's right. I tend to spoil Petey and tease you and that's not right. I'm gonna try to be a better sister to you, okay? That starts with you and me being friends as well as sisters. Sound good?"

"That's great!" Cotton cheered. "I'd love that. You know what else I'd love?"

"Let me guess" Spots said with dread. "To help you off the toilet and wipe your butt?"

"Bingo!"

Spots begrudgingly went into the stall and groaned. "Maaan! I'll be a lot happier when you get your legs fixed!"

 **Meanwhile...**

"YOU #$%ING HYPOCRITE!" Judy yelled.

"Language Fluff!" Nick replied. "Mike's got sensitive ears!"

"You get all over my case about kicking you and slapping my mother, not to mention killing that hawk and you turn around and get into a violent fight in the store in front of my son?!"

"I knew you were going to call me a hypocrite! Carrots, you should know instantly that Michael didn't see anything. Besides, that...that.."

"ATH-HOLE!" Petey accidentally shouted.

"Thank you Petey! Your tourettes was perfectly timed. Anyway, he wasn't just spouting anti-prey B.S. He was making threatening statements about Michael and I wasn't gonna let him get away with that! I'll admit, I snapped a bit and I shouldn't have attacked him like that, but I think it was a bit justified."

Jane Doe raised her hand. "Uhhh...what's all this about killing a hawk?!"

Nick looked over at Judy. "'I'll let Carrots explain it."

Judy forgot she let that info slip. "Oh! Well...ummmm...oh boy!"

 **Meanwhile...**

Clawhauser and Fangmeyer were positioned in front of chief Bogo inside of the meeting room and were about to be wed. Wolford was in attendance of course, along with officers Trumpet and Higgins who had just come in from their shift. Bogo was standing behind the bride and groom as he read to them.

"Dearly beloved...or queerly beloved as the case may be, we are gathered here to witness Benjamin Clawhauser and Terry Fangmeyer come together in holy matrimony."

"Wait!" Wolford shouted. "You forgot something important." Tim then proceeded to take off his shirt and dance around showing off his chest. " Quick Bachelorette party for Fangs!"

Fangmeyer, Clawhauser and Higgins all cheered on Tim. "Go Wolford! Go Wolford!"

"Who wants ta stuff a dollar in my pants?!" He shouted. "Seriously though, I need bus fare ta get home. They don't accept debit."

"WILL YOU KNOCK IT OFF!" Bogo shouted.

"Sorry chief!" The wolf replied. "How's about one last kiss fer 'da bachelorette?"

"Okay!" Fangmeyer replied. Tim then gave Terry a quick kiss on the lips.

"My turn!" Clawhauser shouted as he grabbed Wolford and went in for a smooch.

Wolford tried to back out of it. "Hey! Woah! I don't kiss guys!"

"Technically, you just did." Higgins argued.

"That's diff-" Wolford couldn't finish the argument as Ben came in for a big, sloppy kiss that went a little longer than Wolford's kiss to Terry.

Wolford finally shoved Ben off of him as he spit the taste of cheetah tongue off of his mouth. " _P-TOO!_ Hey! Give a guy a little warnin' here!"

"Sorry Tim.." Ben replied. "But you don't get to kiss my fiancee without equal pay."

Tim wiped Ben's spit off his muzzle. "I'd kill ya if you weren't such a dang good kisser."

Bogo was getting upset. "Can we PLEASE get on with this?! Anyway, if there is anyone here who believes these two should not be wed, speak now, or forever hold their peace."

There was silence, but then Bogo then raised his own hoof. "Oh! I know! Me!"

Terry and Ben gasped. "CHIEF!"

"Do you two have ANY idea what you're getting into so soon?! Sure, you've been a bit flirty with each other for about a year, but you've only been dating for five days and have only spent one night together! Do you really know each other?! Terry, what's Clawhauser's favorite song?"

" 'Try Everything' by Gazelle followed by 'Sit around and do nothing' by the sloth brothers."

Ben was shocked. "That's exactly right!"

"I can hear those songs playing sometimes at your desk." She replied.

Bogo growled "Fine! Ben...What's Terry's biggest pet peeve?!"

"When other felines disrespect mice." Ben answered.

"It's true!" She said. "We need to look past their small size and how delicious they smell and see them for the people they are! Brie is one of my close friends!"

Bogo wasn't having it . "Ben's favorite dish?!"

"Tuna and Cheetos casserole! I'm gonna cook it tonight."

"Terry's favorite color?!"

"Rainbow because she can't pick just one."

"Ben's hobby?!"

"Writing fanfics about the ZPD officers. Mostly Wilde/Hopps stuff."

"Terry's hobby?!"

Clawhauser thought about it. "Honestly? I don't know!"

"AH-HA!" Bogo shouted. "Got you!"

"We never talked about it." She admited. "I'm into retro video games. I have a huge collection of retro consoles and games in a few of the boxes I packed."

Clawhauser's jaw dropped. "Seriously?! I love retro games! I even have an old CalicoVision, a Mega Creamcast, and a Pawstation One!"

"Oh I have all of those and more!"

"I KNEW we were soul mates!" Ben replied.

Bogo just rolled his eyes. " _SIGH!_ I give up. Have you written any wedding vows?"

"It's too soon." Ben replied. "I'll write mine before the main ceremony."

"Well..." Terry replied. "You really spoke from the heart earlier in the garage and I want to as well. Ben, I know that we've been rushing into things this past week, but like you said, I've never been more sure of anything in my life! Although you may have had some doubts earlier, this afternoon ...you...you made me feel like a woman more than I've ever felt in my entire life! I never felt more like my true self than when I'm with you and ...SNIFF! and...I"M SO HAPPIIIEEE!"

She started to cry and fall forward, but Ben held onto her. "I've never been happier too darling!"

Bogo gave a very warm smile. "I'm sorry you two. I was wrong to doubt that you were ready. I just wanted to make sure you knew what you were getting into in rushing so fast into this marriage. With that said, do you, Benjamin Clawhauser take Terry Fangmeyer to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do!" Said the fat cheetah.

Bogo then turned to Fangmeyer. "And do you, Terry.."

"I DO!" She shouted.

"STOP RUSHING INTO THINGS!" Bogo shouted back. He then calmed himself. "Do you, Terry Fangmeyer, take Benjamin Clawhauser to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do!"

"Then, by the power invested in me by the great city of Zootopia, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride!"

Ben and Terry embraced and had a long kiss in front of the cheering crowd. Ben then looked over at Wolford. "I wanna kiss the best man again!"

"Oh no you don't!" Shouted Tim. He then hid behind the hippo. "Kiss Higgins! He's gay!"

"Come to think of it..." Terry wondered. "Higgins has no lips. How do you kiss a hippo?!"

"Very carefully..." Higgins replied. "...and with gusto!"

 **Meanwhile...**

"...and when he had Michael pinned down, I knew what my mother meant. My motherly instincts took control and I kicked and kicked and kicked at that cage until I busted it open, but it was too late! Skinner's arm swung down, but Tom Redtail blocked it with his own arm! He saved my child!"

Judy was admitting all this to the doe therapist. Spots and Cotton had already come back and Nick was happy to see Spots fussing and playing with her little sister.

"Later on, Nick, Gideon and Spots arrived to save the kids and get them all into the truck. A third, bigger hawk came and both Gideon and Spots fought it off. As you can see if you look down, Spots lost her foot to the big hawk. He bit it off. I did deliver the final blow to him, kicking him onto a rail, but almost killing poor Gideon in the process."

"...So that's the hawk you killed?" The doe asked.

"No, that was in defense. Come to think of it, I guess I killed two hawks!"

The doe was confused." I don't understand. How was the other one different?"

Nick took over the conversation. "The leader of the hawks, Zeke had a change of heart once he realized how sadistic his brother Skinner was being to the little bunnies. He only wanted them for food. Not to be tortured. As I mentioned earlier, the dam to Featherton was cut off and their water and food supply was getting scarce. That's why they fed on the bunnies. Me and Zeke managed to fight off Skinner and I got him cuffed and bound, That's when Judy got the shotgun and became unglued."

"I did not become unglued!" Judy argued. "I had PTSD from the entire experience! I screamed for the hawks to freeze, but Skinner kept advancing!"

"He was barely advancing!" Nick said. "His wings were bound and his legs cuffed. By that time, he was harmless!"

"HARMLESS?!" Judy screamed. "HARMLESS?! You didn't see what I saw! He chopped off a little bunny girls head! He chopped the ears off another bunny and played with them! He as a child killer and he wouldn't stop! He had the eyes of a killer!Even with the gun, I was scared for my life! I didn't...I couldn't..." Judy was tearing up. The stress was getting to her. "I blew his brains out with a shotgun okay?! I know it was wrong, but you don't know the stress I was under!"

The doe took it in. "Hmmmm..actually, you were not exactly wrong in what you did Judy."

Nick was shocked. "WHAT?!"

"She was in a horrified, shocked state. Even then, she warned the hawk not to approach her and he did anyway. He was a child killer and I have no sympathy for his death."

Nick was stunned at what he was hearing. "I mean, I forgive her, but still...she's a professional! She has to be better than that!"

The doe got in Nick's face. "For God's sake Mr. Wilde, she's a warm-blooded mammal just like the rest of us! Police officers aren't heartless robots! Given those circumstances, anyone of us may have done the same thing! She just found out she was adopted and that her grandparents and deaf little brother were killed AND watched other bunny children get slaughtered! Have you no sympathy for the situation she was in?!"

Nick bowed his head. "...You're right!...You're right. _SIGH!_ I'm sorry fluff. I know this affected you badly. After our date ended up with a chef with a dart in his butt, I know the PSTD is still getting to you. That the moment is still fresh. I forgave you earlier, but...maybe I'm the one who should be asking for YOUR forgiveness. Can you forgive me Carrots?"

Judy was unbelievably happy. Nick finally understood what she was going through. "Oh, of course Nick!" She set down Michael and gave Nick a large hug, then looked up and him and her muzzle met his in a passionate kiss.

The doe smiled, then turned her attention to Michael. "Michael. This must have been a terrifying ordeal for you. How did you feel when the hawk had you pinned to the table?!"

Judy was upset. "Woah! Woah! Woah! What the hell?! You can't just asked a child what is was like the moment they thought they were gonna be murdered!"

"A little happy." Michael replied. Shocking the entire room into silence. "No...wait...ummmm... relieved? That's a big word, but I think that's it."

Judy hugged her son tight as tears ran down her face. "My GOD! Michael! Why would you say that?!"

"Because I was ready to die!Daddy lied to me and tried to kill me and my old mommy didn't want me anymore! You don't know what it was like for me! Everyone tip-toed around me! Hardly anyone ever played with me and when they did, all they'd do is tease! That's why I love Christine so much! She ran right up to me and hugged me! Then he let me feel her face and it was so soft and fluffy! My family didn't love me! Did you know my old mommy took me to the doctor once and he said my blindness was treatable if I had a donor? Over 300 people in our home! Over 600 eyeballs and not one for me!"

"Petey raised his hand. "I can _FLARFF!_ give you one of mine! I haff two!"

Nick and Judy were in shock by what they heard. Nick kissed his son on the head. "Pete...son, that's very sweet, but you can't just give up one of your eyeballs!"

"Why not?!" Petey asked. "I got a wide wange of vithon and if he hath one of my eyeballth, then... _THIT!_ then we can watch movieth and pway videogameth together!"

Judy, Cotton and Spots are awed at Petey's willingess to sacrifice a part of himself. Nick hugged his son tight. Tears formed around his eyes. "Someday, you'll probably be in charge of the pearly gates of heaven because you are a SAINT Peter! I'm sorry son, but you can't give him an eyeball. It's too risky!"

"Why?" Petey asked.

"Because anything could go wrong! What if the surgery goes wrong and now you're out an eyeball? What if you give him sight and something takes your good eye out?"

"Well then, how about if he just borrowth it?"

Michael hopped off of Judy and quickly jumped on Nick's lap to hug Michael. "I don't want you to lose an eye Mike! You're too good!"

"I'll do it." Judy said. "I'd gladly give up an eye for him."

"You can't Judy! You're police officer. Eyesight is very important to your job. Maybe we can look into rabbit organ donors?"

The doe looked at her watch. "I think it's time we wrap this up. Judy and Michael? I'd like to see you two back here next week. I think there's still some lingering issues related to your PTSD. Thanks for your time everyone."

Everyone got up and started to head for the exit. Nick and Judy stopped to shake hands and small chat with the therapist. However, as they were leaving they noticed that Peter still sat on the chair looking down. He said nothing.

Nick was concerned. "Pete! You okay son?"

He said nothing. Tears were forming in his eyes. "I can thay whatever I want here. _GUNK!_ Right?"

Nick got on his knees and stroked his son's head. "Yes Pete...this is a safe place. If there's something you need to get off your chest, you can say it here. We'll all back you up. Okay?"

He looked at his father with tears in his eyes. "M-M-My mommy did a wot of bad thingth! Do you know why I tawk wike thith?!"


	19. Chapter 18: Confessions of A Cereal Eate

Chapter 18: Confessions of A Cereal Eater Part 2

 **A/N: Having Petey talk for a long period of time with that lisp of his is not easy to write. I recently got a review telling me how hard it is to read his words, so I'll try to tone that down.**

 **P.S. Nick's joke in the middle of the chapter is not a knock on anyone's fan characters outside of my own. Please don't be offended.**

Everyone was focused on Petey who was finally confessing about his mother's atrocities.

"I had thith... _FUGG!_ thith tourettes sinth I wath four. I onwy thaid cuth wordth becauth thath what my mommy would thay a wot. I...I couldn't thtop it! I can't!" He started to tear up. "But thee didn't underthtand! Thee thought that I wath... _THIT!_..wath wying! Thee'd beat me up for cuthing! And then...A-A-And then thee got weally mad one day and took her hot curwing iron and pinched it on my tongue! AAAH-HAA-HAA!"

Nick and Spots went to go hug the little bunny, but Judy beat them to the punch. "It's okay sweetie! Just let it all out! We're here for you!"

Nick curled his paw into a fist. "That lousy witch!"

Petey went on to confess many of the horrible things his mother had done. "Thee...Thee twied to thell me to her ex-boyfriend for thome drugth! Thee...thee made me thtay outside to... _HURK!_...get eaten by the hawk foe thwee weekth with barely any food!"

Petey went on for twenty minutes about some of the horrible things his mother had done to him and his siblings. From forcing them to make crystal meth to molesting some of the older siblings. The therapist couldn't quite make out half of it due to Petey's bad lisp.

Nick rubbed Petey's back as Judy held the boy tight. "Are you getting all of this?" Nick asked Judy. While still hugging Petey, she raised her carrot pen and showed it was still recording. "Good. We're gonna make sure a judge hears this and she's locked up for good!"

"NOOO!" Petey screamed. Shocking the family.

"Petey!" Judy said. "Sweetheart, we have to! She's done so many horrible things!"

Petey wiped the tears from his face. "I know but _FLARFF!_...but...thee's my mommy! I thtill wove her."

Nick and Judy held him both together. Rubbing their cheeks on his. "Even after all she's done..." Nick said. "You still love her. Pete, you're a better kid than she ever deserved. But if we just let her go, she'll do more bad things like she did to you and your siblings. In jail, she may get the help she needs to turn her life around. Do you understand?"

"Yes daddy." Petey replied. "It's just...she's the only mommy I have."

Judy rubbed his cheek and whispered quietly into his ear.

" _Maybe not."_ She whispered. "Soon, _I'm gonna ask Nick to marry me and be your mommy too. Keep it secret for now. Okay?"_

Petey's sad tears turned into a huge smile and his ears hot straight up. "Okay!"

Nick didn't hear the little conversation. "Okay what? You sure changed your mood!"

Judy smiled and winked. "It's a little secret between me and him."

The doe therapist urged Petey to walk over to her. "Come here child. Let me look at your tongue. My husband is an oral surgeon."

Petey opened his mouth and she looked at it. "Hmmm...it's swollen and severely burned, but I think it's fixable. Let me give you his number. Tell me Peter. Do you have a sense of taste?"

Petey smiled. "More _HURK!_ than you do with THAT outfit!"

The doe looked down at her dress and just gave the boy a dirty look. "I MEAN can you taste the difference between say lettuce and a candy bar?"

"Oh! Not weawwy! I wike the texture of wettuce though."

"That's good. I mean, it's bad that she's burned your tongue to the point that you have no sense of taste, but it should make it easier for an operation to reduce the swelling in your tongue to normal levels so you won't have that lisp anymore."

Nick took a business card from Jane. "That's his number. It should be an easy enough operation that he can leave the same day. Schedule an appointment with him."

Nick looked at the card. "Sounds great! 'John Doe' hunh? He's a deer as well?"

"Yes."

"...How does he hold the tiny instruments in his hooves?!"

"Very carefully." She answered.

Nick then thought of a joke. "Tell me...you two have any kids?"

"Yes. Two boys and three girls."

Nick smiled. "Well, that's the thing about deer doctors..."

Judy knew where the lame joke was going. "Don't say it Nick!"

"They're good at making a buck or two and keep rolling in the doe!"

Everyone in the room but Nick let out a huge groan. "UUUGH!"

The doe had enough. "Okay, okay! I really need to wrap this up and get home. I think there was some real progress made here today. Thank you all for coming." She then turned to Judy. "Officer Hopps. May I see you privately for a moment."

"Sure." Judy replied. "Petey, please hold Michael's hand for now."

Petey smiled as he grabbed Michael's hand. "Thure mith Hoppth! C'mon Mike!"

Michael looked unsure. "Okay...just don't drag me agAAAAINNN!" Sure enough, Petey dragged Michael again.

Jane shut the door behind her. Judy was concerned."Is there something wrong?"

"Look...I know you don't want to rush your relationship with Nick, but you shouldn't pussyfoot around."

"...What?!"

The doe knelt to Judy's level. "I didn't see a fox and a bunny with their own kids, I saw a family. You need that fox as much as he needs you if not more and that goes double for your son! It's obvious he has a very loving family and Michael feels very loved with them. I know you don't want to rush into marriage as fast as those feline officers are, but I think you two have a very good chance of having a great future together. I heard you're in charge of who proposes to who, but I wouldn't wait too long. Those children need each other."

"I know, I know." Said Judy. "I just don't like rushing into things. I'm gonna make a plan soon though. I already promised Petey."

Jane smiled."Good to hear. Thanks for coming." Judy then left the office. Judy picked Michael back up with one arm and held Nick's hand in the other. Nick noticed it right away.

"Sooo...between last night's date, me finally forgiving you and now this, I'm assuming our relationship status is back up?"

"Yup!" Judy replied. "Back to last Friday night."

"When we first kissed in public and ummm...tested your bed springs?! Nice!"

Spots shouted back. "WHOOOO! I heard that!"

"Quiet you!" Nick shouted back. "We sure can't seem to stay apart long. Hunh fluff?"

"Well, if you don't have enough WildeHopps in these fanfics, the readership tends to drop off quickly."

"Tell me about it." Nick replied. "Of course, if you REALLY wanna kill readership, just add a bunch of crappy fan characters!"

Nick's children and Michael all turned around. They were blubbering with tears in their eyes.

Nick backed off of his statement. "I-I don't mean you guys of course! You're not crappy! I love all of you! Ha-Ha! Heh...Forget I said anything okay?!"

They approached Ben and Terry who were being congratulated by members of the ZPD. Ben saw them right away. "Nick! Judy! Bogo married us!"

Nick shook Ben's hand. "Congratulations you two! Sorry we missed it."

"Well...we'll be doing a proper ceremony soon enough. We just have to find a place and invite guests."

Nick had an idea. "Saaay! My friend Gideon and Judy's sister are having a wedding ceremony in a month and my mother and her boyfriend are getting married at the same place too! Why don't I see if I can arrange it with Stu and make this wedding ceremony a marriage-palooza! It'll be the biggest party Bunnyburrow has ever seen!"

"Sounds great Nick!" Ben replied. "We'll have to invite our families and see if their up to it."

"I doubt any of my family will go." Terry said depressingly.

Ben rubbed her back. "I'm sure your brother will support you. I'm still gonna invite your dad. I hope he does the right thing and comes."

"I doubt it." Terry said mournfully.

"I know something that will cheer you up Terry!" Judy said. "Me and Nick are an item again!"

"Oh!...That's nice."

Judy was a little surprised. " 'That's nice?'...you two aren't gonna freak out in happiness?"

"Of course not!" Ben replied. "It's not like we're obsessed with your love life."

"Yeah." Terry replied. "Get over yourselves."

Judy was furious but Nick was holding her back. "Why you little...just yesterday they were..."

Nick rubbed Judy's shoulders."I know Fluff! Relax. They have their own love life now so that means they're no longer obsessed with ours. Consider it a blessing."

Judy let out a big sigh. "You're right. Anyway, congrats you two! Don't give me and Wolford too many details about your hanky-panky exploits when we see you tomorrow okay?"

"You'll see me Friday Judy." Ben replied. "Bogo gave me and Terry a day off to celebrate!"

Wolford chimed in. "I gotta admit, it's gonna be confusin' when da chief assigns you two as officers Clawhauser and Clawhauser!"

Terry got excited. "That's right! I'm Terry Clawhauser now!"

"Are you sure honey?" Ben asked. "I don't mind being Benjamin Fangmeyer if you want."

"No way! The way my family treated me, I'd rather not have the Fangmeyer name anymore!"

"We should throw a party to celebrate!" Wolford added.

Nick then remembered. "Oh my gosh! That's right! I own a restaurant! We could have it there!"

"Seriously?!" Wolford said."

"Yup. I know a chef that needs work and I just obtained my liquor license at the legal department today. We could even have our first 'Preds for Peace' meeting there. I'll fill you and Clawhauser on that later. How's Sunday night sound?"

"Great!" Ben replied.

Nick's phone then went off. "Oh no." He said to himself. "Hey Fluff? Why don't you and the kids chat with the bride and groom some more? I gotta go talk to the chief."

Judy was surprised. "About what?"

"It's private. Sorry." He then walked off.

Cotton spoke up. "Mrs. Clawhauser, Viv told me you're a transvestite. What does that mean?"

Terry was put on the spot, but handled it well. "Oh! Well...I used to be a boy, but now I'm a girl."

"Woooah! How'd you do that?"

"Well, a doctor removed my ummm...'boy pee-pee' and changed it into a girl's pee-pee. There's some other things they did too, but it's kinda hard to explain."

Cotton was confused. "But what's the difference between a boy's pee-pee and a girl's pee-pee?"

"I got ya covered!" Petey said.

Judy saw what he was up to. "Sweet cheese and crackers! Peter Wilde! Pull your pants back up this instant!"

 **Meanwhile...**

With a bit of hesitance, Nick entered Bogo's office. He let out a big sigh. "I'm here sir."

"Good." He handed Nick a box. "Open it."

Nick hesitantly opened the box. In it was a small handgun and a note. "This...looks like the real deal."

"It is." Bogo informed him. "The note includes the address of the liquor store and directions to there from your place. At one a.m. tonight, you are to grab some items in the store and put them on the counter. When the clerk addresses you, you are to shoot him directly in the chest."

Nick jumped back. "Sweet biscuits! I'm gonna kill this guy?!"

"No. Of course not. The bullets are blanks and he'll be wearing a vest with tiny explosives that emit blood splatters like you see in action films."

Nick breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good!"

"...Did you actually think we were going to make you do a hit on someone?!"

"No!...No. Of course not. Still...this time tomorrow, my new family is going to think I'm a murderer! Me and Judy got back together again and once this is over, she may hate me forever!"

"I'll take care of her. I'll tell her you were under strict orders from me."

"We do have one small problem there. Her son, Michael heard me on the phone with you earlier."

Bogo was angry. "WHAT?! How can you screw up something like that?! He'll tell his mother!"

"He's blind and has super sensitive ears! I was 30 feet away from him when I was talking to you! I had him promise to keep it a secret. He likes me so hopefully, he'll not blow anything."

"He better not. This mission is top priority! We HAVE to find out who the Big Cheese is and soon! This whole city is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode! As for Judy, have her come in here and I'll deal with her. Take this box and don't let any of your kids touch it! Understand?"

"No need to tell me! I would never let my kids touch a gun."

"Good. You're dismissed. Please ask Judy to come in here. I'll give her tomorrow off for um...being a new mother I guess? Clawhauser won't be on duty tomorrow anyway."

"Which Clawhauser? Nick said with a smirk."

"Both of them! Don't try and be a smart ass! Now go!"

Nick headed back to chat with the others. "Hey Judy? Chief needs to talk with you for a quick moment."

Judy was upset. "Your son showed his wiener to Cotton!"

Nick gave a little nudge to Michael. "He beat ya to it. Hunh Mike?"

"NICK!"

"I'm just kidding Fluff!" Nick knelt down and talked to his son. "Petey, why on earth did you do that?!"

"Cotton had questionth about twanth...twan...boyth who _KRETCH!_ wanna be girlth and the diffewenceth between a boy pee-pee and a girl pee-pee tho I thowed her!"

"Well the next time a pee-pee subject comes up, leave it to your dad or Judy. Okay? You're exposing yourself in a police station! You don't wanna go to jail do you?"

This scared Petey a little bit."No thir!"

"Good!" He turned his attention to Judy. "Carrots, go talk to Bogo for a sec. He says he has something to tell you."

Judy seemed a little nervous. "Oh!...Okay."

Spots noticed the box her father was holding. "What's in the box dad?"

"Police stuff that I have to deliver. Whatever you do, do NOT open it. Okay? It's dangerous stuff!"

Spots was confused, but obliged. "Yeah. Sure dad."

Nick then looked over at Michael. "By the way Mike, I DO believe you have a present for Cotton?"

Michael was a little surprised as he had forgotten. "What?...OH! Right!"

Nick fished a small box from his pocket. "Here..." He opened the small box to reveal two small necklaces. He gave one to Michael. "Here's yours." and the other to Cotton. "And here's yours sweetie!"

Michael felt the necklace ans whispered to Nick. _"What is it?"_

"Oh wow!" Cotton squealed. "It's half of a heart and Mike's got the other half! That's so sweet!"

"R-Right!" Michael said. "I picked it out myself!"

Nick rubbed the blind bunny's head. "He sure did!" He said knowing that Michael had absolutely no clue what the present was. He helped Michael put the necklace on him.

Cotton came hobbling over on her crutches to thank Michael. "Oh,.thank you Mike! I love you!" She hugged him and kissed him all over his face. His smile was a mile wide.

"Nick?" Michael said.

"Yeah Romeo?"

"...Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

Moments later, Judy came back in a happy mood. "Great news! Chief Bogo gave me maternity leave for a day because I'm a new mom! I can spend time with Michael and the kids tomorrow!"

"That's great Fluff!" Nick said. _"And hopefully, that means you won't be snooping around and trying to find out what's really going on tomorrow."_ He thought.

They said their goodbyes to Wolford and the Clawhausers and made their way to the mini-van. Wolford walked Terry and Ben to Terry's car and they said their goodbye's for today. "Hey Ben!" Wolford shouted. "C'mere!"

Ben came over and Tim shook his paw. "Look...as far as I'm concerned, that gal is my little sister so you take great care of her! Capiche?!"

"Of course Tim! You know how much I love her."

"'Dere's one more 'ting. Since she's my sister, from here on out, yer my brudder. Okay?!" The wolf hugged the fat cheetah. "You just earned yerself a new best friend. 'Dere's nothin I wouldn't do fer you two."

"Even a farewell kiss?" Ben said with a flirty smile.

"...Almost nothin." Tim replied. "Now get outta here!"

Ben and Terry waved goodbye as Wolford waved back. As he watched the car speed away. He started to weep tears of joy. "God bless ya Fangs! You finally got yer happy ever after."

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick, Judy and the kids were all driving in the mini-van. The rain outside was pouring down as thunderstorms struck down from the sky. Nick had the windshield wipers going back and forth. Everyone was nice and toasty inside the van. Cotton however, was still interested in the difference between boys and girls.

"So I know now that boys have very different pee-pee's from girls, but WHY are they different?!"

"Can we PLEASE move onto a different subject?" Nick pleaded.

Judy intervened. "It's so they can make babies."

"...How?!" She asked.

Nick interrupted the conversation. "Forget that! Uhhhh...Who wants to sing?"

Spots looked at Nick. "Anything but..." It was too late. Nick started to sing.

" _The wheels on the bus go round and round!"_

" _Round and round! Round and Round!"_

Petey and Cotton started to sing along. Judy joined in as well.

" _The wheels on the bus go round and round!"_

" _All through the town!"_

Spots held her paws to her ears. "UUUURGH! Why me?!" But then, something amazing happened. Michael joined in on his harmonica. He wasn't just pretty good with it, he was REALLY good. A musical genius in the making. He added a blues beat to the children's song. As they were singing, Nick looked back at Judy in shock. Judy looked back at him with the same expression of awe. Judy grabbed Michael's ears and her, Michael and Petey swiped their ears back and fourth like windshield wipers in unison for the next lyric.

" _The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish, swish!"_

" _Swish, swish, swish!"_

"It's so de-lish!" Nick added. Even Spots was getting into it as she started drumming on the dashboard.

" _The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish, swish!"_

" _All through the town!"_

" _The driver on the bus says, 'move on back!'"_

" _Move on back!"_

"Don't ya give me no yackety-yack!"

" _The driver on the bus says, 'move on back!'"_

" _All through the town!"_

" _The people on he bus go up and down!"_

" _Up and down!"_

"Like a goofy clown!"

" _The people on he bus go up and down!"_

" _All through the town!"_

" _The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep!"_

" _Beep, beep, beep!"_

They were at a stop light. Nick reached over and touched all three of the bunnies noses with his finger. "Beep! Beep! Beep!" It made them giggle.

" _The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep!"_

" _Alllll through the...TOOWWWWN!"_

Nick applauded and everyone in the mini-van cheered. "Thank you ladies and gentleman!" Nick shouted. "On vocals, Judy Hopps along with Peter and Christine Wilde! On the dashboard drums, Miss Vivian Wilde! And last but certainly not least, doing an AMAZING performance on the harmonica, Mr. Michael Hopps! WHOOOOO!"

Everyone cheered and praised the musical bunny. "MICHAEL! MICHAEL! MICHAEL!" The blind bunny smiled and laughed.

Nick absolutely loved this moment. For in that moment in time, inside the mini-van, his family was whole. Not just Spots, Cotton and Petey, but Judy and Michael too.


	20. Chapter 19: An Unexpected Guest

Chapter 19: An Unexpected Guest

 **A/N: Only one more chapter after this one and we're finally wrapped up! I think the second half of this chapter with the two parallel stories came out really well. I just thought of it at the last minute.**

 **Wednesday night, 6:00pm**

The rain was pouring down hard. There was thunder in the sky and occasional bouts of lightning across the city. Spots' young orphan friend, Suzie the giraffe, was was downtown and scared to death. She had gotten on the phone with her caretaker, sister Camella.

"Y-Y-Yes sister! I-I'll be home soon, it's just..." A shot of lightning came down. _KRAKKOW!_

The giraffe jumped. "AAAH!" She looked around. "Oh! There's ummm... a movie playing that I wanted to see! I'll be home late. Tell Sara not to wait up!...Sister, I can't! I need this storm to pass! You KNOW lightning scares me! I'm a giraffe! I'm close to 15 feet tall now and that makes me a huge lightning rod! I'm gonna go see 'Rat One: A Star Boars story'. I'll come home right after! I promise!" Suzie shut off her phone and headed to the theater.

 **Meanwhile...**

Michael and Petey were cuddling up to Judy on Nick's couch. Petey was watching T.V. While Judy was trying to teach herself and her son braille from a beginner's book. Spots was in her room writing in a new journal she started while Nick was in Petey and Michael's room building their double-decker bed. However, the fox was not alone. Cotton was sitting nearby and still asking her dad questions about the birds and the bees.

"But HOW is a baby made from the two different pee-pees?!" Cotton asked.

Nick was putting in a screw into a hole to connect the frame of the bed to the bedpost. "I'm stuck telling you aren't I?" He got in a deep breath and let it go. " _PHEW!_ Okay! First off, a boy's pee-pee is called a penis and a girl's pee-pee is called a vagina. Sometimes, they can be called a different name depending on the species and also, can look very different depending on the species. As far as making babies go...Well...when you're close to adult age, like Spots is now, your body starts go go through a change. You see...you have a womb inside of you. It's...it's kind of like a little oven where babies are made and once a month, a little egg or a few eggs again, depending on species, pop inside the womb waiting to be fertilized. "

"I'm gonna have eggs inside me?!" Cotton asked.

"Tiny ones sweetie. Anyway, when the eggs don't get fertilized, they leave the body through the vagina. It DOES cause bleeding though."

Cotton was shocked. "I'M GOING TO BLEED?!"

"Yup. Once a month. You can ask Judy more details on that, because there's some stuff I don't know and don't want to know.. Anyway, an adult male or in your case, a ram uses his penis to fertilize the egg by sticking it in the vagina and the egg slowly turns into a baby inside the womb. Months later, depending on the gestation period of the species, a baby comes out of the vagina."

"Fertilize?" Cotton asked. "There's fertilizer involved? Do I have to go to a store?"

Nick chuckled. "No sweetie. It's sperm. It's...look, can we PLEASE talk about something else?"

"Why did you say a ram? Can't Michael give me a baby when I'm grown up? He's a boy and I'm a girl!"

Nick rubbed his head. "Hooo boy. Hey! This bunk bed's all done! Didn't you say you wanted me to move your bed in a different spot in your room?"

"Yes daddy!"

"Good! I'll go in there and pull my back out. Why don't you go see what the boys are doing?"

"I'd rather be with you!"

"... _SIGH!_ Of course."

 **Meanwhile...**

Spots was in her room, sitting in front of a desk and writing in her new journal. _"Finally, some peace and quiet!"_ She thought to herself. She started writing some stuff down.

" _Dear Diary...wait is that how these things really start? This book isn't sentient. Why should I call it 'dear'? Anyway, While this is the first entry in my journal, this is the third day of my new life with my new family. I love them all. Petey's adorable and I love babying him. Christy is the little sister I never had, although technically, she was my foster sister at the orphanage. I don't miss that place. I don't mi"_

She looked over and noticed that while she was writing with her right hand, her left hand was carving notches into the desk with a broken plastic knife that she doesn't remember having. "What the?.." Then it happened. Flashes of memories came to her. Bad ones. She heard a familiar scream echoing in her mind as loud as can be. _"RRRRAAAHH!"_ It was her own. She started remembering being at the desk, alone in that classroom. The desks all scattered about except her own with carvings all over it. She hated it, but she hated everyone else even more for being scared of her. She remembered her fights with the nun. _"STUPID-ASS SISTER!"_ She heard herself yell. Then she remembered her ex-lover's face. Rose's beautiful, untarnished face. She saw her claws coming out in front of the bunny to maul her only they were twice as long as before. Part of her was trying to pull away, but couldn't. _"NO! NNNOOO!"_ And then seeing nothing but red as the claws slashed at the girl's face. She then looked in the mirror in front of her desk. There, in front of her was the person who scared her most of all.

Scratch.

Her foul-tempered alter ego, born from a tragic event. The mean hyena she was staring at snarled at her with her long, mangled mane stretched over her eyes. "Let me out!" She screamed. "I WANT OUT!" Scratch's arms reached out of the mirror and strangled Spot's neck.

"AAAAHHH!" Spots had woken up. She was panting heavily. Her heart beating rapidly. It was a dream. Rather, a nightmare. She looked down at her journal and had barely gotten any words in. The long day had made her tired and she fell asleep at her desk, but being all alone in that room in front of a desk had only reminded her of the monster she was before. She started to weep. "I don't wanna be alone again!" She said to herself. "I don't have to be!" She bolted out of her room. "CHRISTINE!"

 **Moments earlier...**

Nick was pulling Cotton's heavy bed into a corner. "Cotton honey!" Nick gasped. "Is this... _PANT! PANT!_...is this good?...Cotton?"

Cotton just sat on the floor, weeping. " _SNIFF!_ Me and Michael can't have babies together."

Nick dropped the bed and knelt down to comfort his daughter. "I know honey. Different species can't have babies. Just like me and Judy can't either, but...that doesn't mean we can't love each other! And hey, there's always adoption! I mean...that's how I got you and Spots and Petey. If you were a bunny or if Michael was a ram, then all you could have is either bunnies or sheep, but when you adopt you can have a lemming or a koala or an otter or anything else! Not only that, you'd be giving a child who's lost everything a home like I gave you. Do you understand?"

"I guess..." Cotton said in a sad tone. "...But what if I really want a baby of my own?"

"Well...you and Michael would have to talk about it, but there is such a thing as a sperm bank where they give you the sperm of a ram to make a baby with."

"But then Michael wouldn't be the daddy!"

"Sure he would! I mean not biologically, but he'd be raising the child with you and legally it would be his as well. The sperm donor can even be anonymous. Look, you have years...YEARS before this even becomes a problem so don't worry about it!"

"...Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"...What if you and Judy get married and she wants to have bunny babies someday? Would you let her go to the sperm bank?"

Nick gave it some thought. He never considered that Judy's biological clock was always ticking and unlike some mammals, a bunnies desire to have lots of children tends to be stronger than others. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Nick responded. _"And I'll throw myself off said bridge."_ He thought.

Just then, they heard a yell. "CHRISTINE!" Spots came roaring into the room. She stopped herself and regained her composure. She was panting, but trying to act cool by leaning against the arch of the doorway. "Oh! H-Hey! 'Sup?"

Nick looked confused and concerned. "What's up with you?!"

"N-Nuthin! Oh! I ummm...I see you're moving Cotton's bed. Good!...Good, cuz umm...I've got GREAT news for ya Christy! It's your lucky day! Now, I gave it some consideration and dad can really use his own room so...I GUESS you can move in with me. I mean, if you want to. Whatever!"

"Really?" Cotton said in a confused tone.

Nick shared the same confusion. "Really? I thought you wanted your own room for privacy! I mean, you are a teenager. What's going on?"

"Nothing!" She fidgeted for a little bit as Nick and Cotton stared at her. "...OKAY! QUIT STARING! Truth be told, back at the orphanage I locked myself in a classroom all alone for almost two years. I was miserable. Just now, I was sitting at my desk writing in a journal when all those feelings of loneliness came rushing back and I had a really scary nightmare. I just...I don't wanna be alone again." Spots knelt down in front of Cotton. "I can't believe I'm asking this, but...Cotton, will you PLEASE be my roommate? Please?"

"I'd LOVE to!" Cotton said and gave her sister a big hug. "Why did you have a nightmare?" Cotton asked. "Are you afraid of the dark or monsters in the closet?"

Spots wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm afraid of me." She replied, which only confused Cotton. She then turned her attention to her father. "Well dad, looks like you finally get your own room! I'll make space and you can pull Cotton's bed into my room. It'll fit, our bed's are small and my room is pretty big. Be right back!"

"Wait!" Nick shouted. "Help me pull this bed out!...Spots?!...SPOTS!... _SIGH!_ Well, I guess I don't need a back anyway."

 **Meanwhile...at 7:15 pm**

Terry Clawhauser was bawling her eyes out. "It's ruined! I... _SNIFF!_...I burnt the tuna and cheetos casserooollee!"

Ben tried to calm her. "It's okay honey! It's just a little...black! Here! Let me try some!" Ben took a forkful and bit down. "Iffff...OW! It's okay! I only broke one fang on it!"

Terry sobbed heavily, but Ben gave her a big hug. "It's okay sweetie! It's a large oven built for giraffes. You'll just have to get used to it."

"It's too large!" She yelled. "I had to climb onto the stove just to turn on the oven and I could barely open the door to check on it!"

"I know honey and I thank you for cooking for me. We'll go eat out! Anywhere you want, my treat!"

"SNIFF! O-Okay. Do you like sushi?"

"I LOVE sushi! We'll go there and eat and then come back here and...y'know, have some fun?"

Terry smiled. "Ooooh! What kind of fun?"

"Retro video games!" Ben said excitedly.

Terry was angry. "WHAT?! No! We are having more sex!"

"But honey, we went at it for an hour when we got home!"

"I can't get enough of you baby! Besides, it's kind of our honeymoon. I wanna mate!"

"I want video games!"

"Sex!"

"Video Games!"

"Sex!"

Ben gave it some thought. "I got it! We'll play naked 'Prance, Prance Revolution!' "

Terry smiled. "Baby, you're a genius!"

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick went over to Judy's apartment and knocked on her door. "You decent?"

"No, but come in anyway." She replied.

"Very funny Fluff. Look I..." He came in and she was correct. She was in the middle of changing out of her civilian clothes and into some pajamas. Outside of a bra and thong panties, she was completely naked. Nick's throat went dry so he took a huge swallow. "Oh...my."

"What's the big deal, loverboy?" She replied while fluttering her eyelashes at him very flirtatiously. She then flashed her rear at him. "Don't you like what you see?"

Nick was confused. "...Come again?"

"And again and again if you'd like." She replied.

"...No."

Judy was a little upset. "What do you mean, 'no'?"

" 'No bed before wed'. Remember Carrots? You made that rule. Not me, YOU and YOU are the one who has to propose to ME! I'm not allowed to. Remember? So if you want some loving, you'll be getting down on one knee and not for oral!"

She was fidgeting. "Can't we just...break the rule this time?"

"NO!" Nick said sternly. "What's gotten into..." He could smell it in the air. "Oooooh!"

"Yeah." She replied. "I'm...I'm in season."

"What a shame." Nick said with a smirk. "I mean, I guess I could meet you halfway." He took of his clothes with the exception of his boxers and flexed for her for awhile, fanning his musk in her direction. It was driving her wild, but he put his clothes back on. "That's all you get Fluff. I'll see you in my apartment. Mike wants you to read him a story."

Judy wanted it so badly, that she was crossing her legs. "Nick, I need you! PLEASE!"

"Like the song says Fluff, 'If you liked it, then you should'a put a ring on it!' He then danced and sang his way out of the apartment. _"Oh, oh ooooh! Oh, oh-oh, ooooh, o-o-o-oh!"_

 **Meanwhile, at 8:30...**

The rain was pouring down on poor Suzie's head. The thunder was still rolling and lightning was in the sky. "Oh no!" Suzie yelled in fear. "I missed the bus! Calm down Suzie!" She said to herself. "With my long legs, I can walk to the orphanage in under an hour! Yeah. I can do this!"

She started to pace herself up the block, but another bout of lightning came crashing down with the thunder. "AAAH!" She screamed. She looked around and saw a very large door with a locked flap at the bottom. It was a giraffe apartment. _"Maybe they'll let me dry inside until the storm passes!"_ She thought to herself.

She knocked on the door. "H-Hello?" Said said tepidly. No answer. She knocked again. Still no answer. _"Maybe they're not home."_ She thought. She twisted the doorknob and noticed the door was unlocked. "I shouldn't go in. I REALLY shouldn't!" She said to herself. But then another bolt of lightning came down and she bolted herself inside.

She looked around. "Wow! The upper walls and portraits are really dusty! Does any giraffe live here?"

She looked inside the kitchen. She was still looking for anyone inside. "Hello? I don't mean to intrude! I just wanna stay away from the lightning!"...No response. "I'm hungry." She looked in the fridge. "Oooh! They have eggs and cheese! I can cook myself an omelette!"

Twenty minutes later, she was sitting on the living room couch, making herself WAY too much at home as she finished her omelette. " _BAAARRRPP!_ I wonder if this is even a giraffe apartment? The TV and couch are very small. Guess I'll have a look around while I'm waiting for the storm to pass."

She looked in the room closest to the kitchen. "Wow! That bed is way too small! Maybe a giraffe doesn't live here." She then looked into the other room and was awed. "WOW! Now this is more like it!"

The room had a eucalyptus tree towering high in the middle of the room up to the ceiling just two feet above her head. She munched on one of the leaves, but spit it out. "Blech! They got dust on them!" She then noticed the upper shelves were dusty as well and the bed was slightly broken. "Hmmm...No one must sleep in this room." She then got an idea. A very dumb idea. "I could sleep here for the night and sneak out in the morning! They won't even know I was here!" She then sat on the bed. "Not too much dust on here and it sure...feels...comfy." She laid down and fell asleep quickly.

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick, Judy and the rest of the family were sitting back on the couch. Judy had Michael in her lap with a children's book open. Petey and Cotton leaned against each of her shoulders. Spots sat next to Cotton while Nick sat the to the hyena with his arm over her shoulder. During this time, Ben Clawhuaser and his wife, Terry were heading home from a good dinner. Judy tells the story as the Clawhauser's head to their apartment.

She opens the book. "Goldie-fox and the three bears."

" _Once upon a time, their was a house with three bears. A momma bear, a daddy bear and a baby bear. One day, the momma bear made some porridge, but it was too hot. So, they decided to leave and come back when it had cooled down."_

Terry was driving the car home. "Ben, have you told your mother that we're married yet?"

"No." The fat cheetah replied. "I'm kinda nervous about it, so I'm inviting her to the apartment tomorrow."

Terry put her paw on his. "It's not just an apartment, it's our home."

Ben smiled at her. "OUR home...yeah. I like the sound of that!"

"Still..." Terry said. "I think we need a new oven. That one is just too big!"

"Here we are!" Said Ben as they pulled into their parking spot at the complex.

" _While they were gone, a young vixen named Goldie-fox visited the house. She couldn't find anyone, so she decided to make herself at home. She tried eating some of the porridge, but it was too hot, so she made her own meal and ate it there. She was so stuffed from the meal that she decided to take a nap..._ Y'know, this is a really stupid child for breaking into someone's home and not expecting consequences. _Anyway, she tried the momma and daddy's bed, but it was too hard. Then she tried the babies bed and it was just right and Goldie-fox fell fast asleep. The three bears then returned home only to realize someone had entered their house!"_

They came to the door and noticed it was ajar. "Oh em Goodness!" Said Ben. "Someone's broken into our house and used the doorknob I can't reach!"

"Was it locked?" Terry asked.

"Maybe. I don't know. I never could reach it so I couldn't check!"

Terry pushed her husband inside. "Y-You go first!"

"You're almost twice as big as me!"

"But you're the man of the house!"

"Only on a technicality!"

" _They went into the kitchen. 'The momma bear said, 'someone has been eating our food!' "_

They went inside. They didn't see anything out of the ordinary at first, but then they noticed that the couch had big indents on it as if it had been sat on recently and there was a plate on the coffee table with some food bits.

"Oh my God!" Shouted Terry. "Burglars were here and they ate some of our food!"

"That doesn't make sense." Ben replied. "I get it! My mom must be visiting!"

Terry argued "Your mom wouldn't make that big an indentation on the couch! Your butt cheeks aren't even that big! Nobody knows the size of your incredibly fluffy and adorable ass better than me!"

Ben thought it over. "If there's food out here, then we better check the kitchen!"

They slowly crept into the kitchen. "Someone cooked on our stove!" Terry said. "How'd they even reach up there?!"

Ben gasped. "They must be real tall! Like an elephant! Honey! Get out your dart gun! I'll get mine! We may need both if this burglar is still around!"

Ben opened the kitchen door for Terry. "Ladies first!"

" #$% you!" Terry shouted. "YOU go first. Be a man!"

Ben took the lead. "Y'know, you can be a bit of a meanie with that cussing and all!"

"Sorry baby!" Terry replied. "I'll make it up to you later."

They entered their bedroom which also had it's door ajar. Ben looked around. "Nothing here." Then they heard it. A dreadful sound. An awful, rumbling sound not unlike a giant snoring. It was coming from the spare bedroom. Chills went up both officers spines.

"Holy catnip!" Terry squealed. "They're still here!"

" _The daddy bear went into his bedroom. 'Someone has been sleeping in our bed!' He growled. Then, the baby bear went into his room. 'Someone's been sleeping in my bed too and she's still here!' Goldie-fox woke up startled to find the three bears growling and snarling at her! 'What are you doing here?!' they asked her."_

Ben and Terry stood at the front of the spare bedroom door whispering to each other. "I got a plan!" Terry said.

"What is it?" Ben asked.

"We're cops! We'll just make a bust right here, right now!"

"You're right honey."

"So you roll in first, weapons drawn and say 'Freeze! ZPD!" and I'll follow right behind you!"

"Honey...I love you...You are my everything. But I must remind you again...You. Are. Much. Larger. Than. Me!"

"Oh come on Ben! Are you a cat or a mouse?!"

"...Squeak?"

She growled at him. "We're going! Roll into the flap and aim your dart gun at the count of three."

Ben was tense and nervous. "Oh jeez! Oh gosh!"

"One...two..."

"Here goes nothing!"

"THREE!"

Ben busted through the flap on the door and rolled across the floor. He knelt and aimed his gun toward the large figure sleeping on the bed. "FREEZE! ZPD!" He heard a frightened scream followed by heavy crying.

"EEEEEE! BAWWW-HAAAW-HAWWW! P-P-Please don't shoot me! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Terry finally busted in and saw the same thing. It was a young giraffe, she was bawling her heart out. The Clawhauser's fear went away and Terry couldn't help but find the situation cute. "AWWW! She's adorable! It's okay, sweetie! We won't shoot you!"

"You scared me!" She cried. "P-Please don't arrest meeeee!"

Terry slapped her husband on the shoulder. "You big meanie! Why'd you have to scare this poor girl?!"

"What?!" Ben exclaimed. "I...You! You TOLD me come busting in here with my gun drawn! We didn't know it was a child!"

Terry climbed up on the large bed and wrapped her arms around Suzie's neck. "Shhhh! It's okay sweetie! That mean ol' cheetah isn't gonna hurt you!"

"I'm not mean!" Clawhauser exclaimed. He then climbed up on the bed himself and joined in the hugging. "See?" He looked up at the giraffe. "What's your name, little girl? I mean, little in the relative sense."

"My... _SNIFF!_ M-My name is Susan, but everyone calls me Suzie!"

Terry asked the next question. "What are you doing here Suzie? Why'd you break into our home?"

"I...I'm really scared of lightning! I was trying to get back to the orphanage, b-b-but the storm was really bad! I knocked but no one was home and your door was unlocked! I know I shouldn't have come in, but I was really scared! Please don't tell Sister Camella what I did! Please?!"

"Of course we won't!" Ben said. "You're welcome to stay here as long as you like until the storm passes."

"Oh, thank you! THANK YOU!" She picked up Ben like a plush doll and hugged him tightly to his chest.

"Wait!" Ben shouted. "Don't squeeze too tight!"

 _FFFRRRRTTT!_

Ben was embarrassed. "Sorry."

Terry explained. "He farts if you squeeze him too tight."

"Really?" She squeezed him again.

"Stop it!" Ben yelled.

 _FFFRRRTT!_

Terry and Suzie laughed hysterically.

"Well Suzie, call the nun and tell her you'll be staying here a little while."

"Okay!"

"By the way, did you cook yourself something?"

"Yes! I made an omelette. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be using your food."

"No, that's fine!" Terry said. "Maybe you can help me bake a casserole tomorrow? I have trouble using that giant stove myself."

Suzie was starting to get relaxed and happy. "Sure! I'm a pretty good cook. I assist Sister Camella in the kitchen all the time!"

Terry then had an idea. "Ben? Can I see you in the other bedroom for a moment?"

Ben followed Terry into the bedroom. "Terry honey? You've got that _'I'm going to rush into a life-changing decision'_ look in your eyes again!"

Terry smiled "You know me too well baby!"

" _'Please don't eat me!' Goldie-fox shouted. 'I'm a poor, homeless child! I've been all alone since my father passed and I was just looking for some shelter and food!' The bears did not maul her right away. They sat down and came to a decision. 'Little girl, since you have no one to take care of you, we'll let you stay here and you can be our new daughter! You can look after the house when we're in hibernation!' Goldie-fox was very, very happy. She hugged the bears and they gave her a new room and they all lived happily ever after! The End."_

The bunnies and Cotton cheered. Michael climbed off Judy's lap to give her a hug.

Spots was confused. "Didn't they maul the little girl to death in the original story?"

"I like my version better." Judy replied.

"Me too!" The children said in unison.

"Yeah, it was cute." Nick said. "Still, I have a funny feeling something's going on nearby that parallels this story."


	21. Chapter 20: Reality Check

Chapter 20: Reality Check

" **Down with the sickness" by Disturbed.**

 **A/N: Okay, I'm at the very VERY tail end of this, but we still have about half a chapter to go after this one. I decided to expand on Ben and Terry's possible adoption of Suzie because, well...I kinda don't like Terry. I mean, I wrote her with these flaws on purpose, but she's someone who gets whatever she wants despite her lack of maturity. I didn't like that aspect of her, so in this chapter, I had sister Camella really put her in her place and give her a wake up call.**

 **Sigh! I thought I'd be done by now, but it looks like I got one more short chapter to write. This was supposed to be a short, transitional story dangit!**

 **Wednesday night, 9:20pm**

Nick wished this night would never end. It was his first night spent with his complete family and it may be his last. He had his arm around Judy who had the two bunnies beside her. Michael on her lap while Petey was resting his head on her side. Petey had really warmed up to Judy that evening. Nick believed he was starting to see her as his new mother. Cotton and Spots where next to Nick with Cotton on Spots lap. All the children were ether fully asleep or drowsy, but content. Nick and Judy were still awake, lit by the glow of the television as they watched an interview with Lionheart.

The mouse journalist on the TV prattled on. _"This is Dan mouser reporting live from NPD prison with our third interview with former mayor and possible future mayor, Leodore Lionheart who is currently running his campaign for re-election while finishing his final days behind bars. "Leodore..."_

 _Lionheart interrupted. "Oh-Ho! Please! Call me Leo!"_

" _Leo...you've been doing a fantastic job of re-capturing the faith of your supporters after the 'night-howler' incident had you arrested. How have you managed to run such a successful campaign while incarcerated?"_

" _Well Dan, I've had a lot of big, huge support from both outside and inside these prison walls. I've had a great staff who've really gotten my message of stong relations between predators and prey across. Heh!-Heh! It also helps that my opponent, the current Mayor, Donald Trunk has been putting his foot in his mouth with his specist tirades towards predators! It makes my campaign all the easier!"_

"Leo's got my vote!" Nick said. "He's really seemed to have turned himself around."

"I dunno." Judy replied. "He still seems like a huge blowhard to me."

The mouse continued the interview. _"With your time in jail almost up, do you have any regrets?"_

" _Well, I regret being in jail! Ha-Ha! No, my only real regret is that people just didn't seem to understand WHY I captured the predators who went savage. Was it wrong to not notify the public? Yes...maybe. I just didn't want any panic in the streets that predators may randomly be going savage until we found a cause and cure for those poor people infected. However...all that good will was undone thanks to a...certain rabbit who shall remain nameless..."_

Judy got a bit of a dry lump in her throat at Leo mentioning her.

" _...and instead, that fear and unease I was trying to stop from happening ended up coming to fruition and the predators of Zootopia suffered for it. I don't blame her. She just didn't fully understand the situation and made a rookie mistake. That said, all of that is in the past and I think I'm a better person from having learned from this experience. I'll be out just two days before election day and as your next mayor, I can promise you that I will bring about big, big changes! Including a new balance of peace and prosperity to Zootopia. A more balanced place where predators and prey alike will all have a proper role in society and where everyone can live in harmony. I think you'll all be quite surprised"_

Judy turned off the TV. "He just HAD to mention me, didn't he?"

"Well, he's got ya there Fluff!" Nick replied. "It was your biggest blunder and to be honest, until we exposed Bellwether, life was getting pretty tough for us preds. But like he said, it's in the past. I'm sure he doesn't wish you any ill will."

"I hope not." Judy replied.

Nick continued. "Anyway, while we're all here on our first full night together, let's take some selfies!"

Judy agreed. They woke up the kids and they all posed on the couch with Nick taking the picture while his face was up front, he managed to get his whole, happy family in the shot.

 **Meanwhile...**

Terry and Ben Clawhauser were arguing in the next bedroom over about what to do with Susan the giraffe.

"Look Ben, she needs a home. It's very, VERY hard for giraffes to find good living spaces and this place would be perfect for her! It's specifically built for giraffes!"

"Honey, we just got married today! It's too soon for me to even THINK about adoption! Not only that, we barely know her! We met her, what? Fifteen minutes ago?"

Suzie stuck her snout in unnoticed through a crack in the door. Terry didn't notice her and Ben couldn't see her. She whispered into Terry's ear.

" _Giraffe's have a really hard time getting adopted due to their size."_

"Giraffe's have a VERY hard time getting adopted due to their size!" Terry argued.

" _She'd be a great help in the kitchen."_

"She'd be a GREAT help in the kitchen! I mean, look at the size of that stove!"

" _She can dust call the high places you can't reach."_

"Think of all the high places we can't reach! She'd be a big help with that and...and cleaning!"

" _And she's very adorable."_

"Not to mention she's cute as a button!"

Ben started to chuckle. "Honey, I think you're being a little bit manipulated." He pointed behind her at the snout sticking through the door.

Terry was a little upset. "Suzie! You were supposed to be in the other room calling the orphanage!"

"I AM in the other room! Most of me anyway. Just my neck and head are outside. You...you really want to adopt me?"

Terry gently grabbed the giraffe's face and rubbed her muzzle across it. "I'd love to honey, but it's up to old sour-pussycat over there."

Ben crossed his arms and huffed. "I'm NOT an old sour-pussycat! I just think we need to give it some serious consideration before making such a big decision! You seem like a very sweet girl and I'd love to give you a home here, but we're just starting out on our own lives as a married couple."

"I understand." Suzie said with sadness in her eyes. "You're right. It's too soon. _SIGH!_ I'll probably just stay with sister Camella until I turn 18 anyway. Besides, I couldn't leave my baby sister Sarah behind. We're a package. Where she goes, I go!"

Ben and Terry looked at each other with concern. One giraffe would be a bit tough to raise, but TWO would be near impossible. "You...have a little sister?" Terry asked.

"Foster sister." Suzie replied. "She's a five and a half year old mountain lion."

Ben and Terry's ears almost leaped off their head with that news and got very excited. "A MOUNTAIN LION?!"

"Did you hear that Terry?!" Ben said excitedly. "A feline! Like us!"

" _I got 'em!"_ Suzie thought to herself. "Yup! I've been helping sister Camella raise her since she was born. I'm practically her mom! Her birth parents dumped her at our doorstep because she was born with a misshapen spinal cord that has paralyzed her bottom half."

"AWWWW!" Ben and Terry said together while holding hands.

"You wouldn't know it to see her in action though. She has a LOT of upper body strength and she gets around just fine! She loves to climb. Her friends call her 'Skates' because she doesn't use a wheelchair, but this kind of tripod/skateboard thing with three wheels. She wants to be a gymnast in the Paralympics someday!"

Ben was sobbing like a little girl and crying into Terry's shirt. "That's so inspirationaaallll!"

"That settles it!" Terry said. "Ben, I want these two! Please?!"

"Who will watch the little mountain lion when we're at work?" Ben asked. "Suzie, I'm assuming you go to school?"

"Yes sir."

"What about your mother?" Terry asked.

Ben smiled wide. "Yeah...Yeah! She lives at home alone and doesn't work since dad left her with his life insurance money. I'm sure she'd love to babysit Sarah. She wants grandkids."

"I have a friend nearby who can help babysit too!" Suzie added. "Her dad's a cop just like you!"

Terry and Suzie looked at Ben. "Sooooo?..."

Ben chuckled. "I...I can't think of a good reason NOT too! Well...I can think of several, but...well anyway, welcome to the Clawhauser family, Suzie!"

Terry and Suzie cheered and squealed with delight. Ben ran up to them and gave Terry and Suzie's snout a big, tight hug. Tears ran down Suzie's face. "Thank you! _SNIFF!_ Thank you so muuu-huu-huuch! I'm gonna have a mom and dad!"

Ben then stood back. "Now...this isn't a guaranteed thing yet. Adoption is a long, long process and there's many factors that can screw it up! I don't know how Wilde got his kids so quick."

Terry answered. "Hopps told me that Bunnyburrow's adoption laws are much, much more forgiving. Like, same day. It's because there's sooo many orphaned bunnies there."

"I know Mr. Wilde!" Suzie said excitedly. "That's the other cop I know! My friend Vivian's dad!"

"Vivian's the hyena who snapped and beat up Nick right?" Terry asked.

"That's the one." Ben answered. "But she got therapy for it."

"Well I dunno if I want her babysitting the cub."

"She's really nice normally. " Suzie replied. "I don't know why she snapped. I'll have a talk with her."

"Speaking of talk." Ben said. "Have you talked to Sister Camella yet?"

"Oh no!" Shouted Suzie. "She must be worried sick! I'll stick my neck back in the other room and check my texts. Stretching over here is kinda painful anyway."

Suzie pulled her head back into the other room and looked at her smart phone. "So many texts! I'm dead meat!" She screamed.

Ben just looked over at Terry with a huge smile. "Well this has been a heck of a day, hasn't it?"

Terry was starting to weep. "It...it really has! I had sex for the first time since the change into a woman,only to get into a big fight with you only for us to make up and GET FREAKING MARRIED only to then wind up with a giraffe intruder in our home only to end up possibly adopting her and another child! Y-Yeah! I'll say it's been a heck of a day!"

Meanwhile, Suzie was on the phone with sister Camella. "Hello sister, it's Suzie!...PLEASE STOP YELLING! I'm fine! I just...I had to find a place to get out of the storm and...I ummm...might have entered someone's home when they weren't there...Waitwaitwaitwait! I'm okay! Everything worked out great! In fact, better than great! I'm gonna be adopted!...No they're not weirdos! They're felines! A tiger and a fat cheetah! I'll put them on video. Mr. and Mrs. Clawhauser?! Can you come here?"

Ben and Terry managed to squeeze themselves into being seen on screen. They saw a nun camel with a very sour expression on her face. "H-Hello Miss Camella!" Ben answered. "I'm Benjamin J. Clawhauser and this is my lovely wife, Terry!"

"Hello sister!" Terry answered.

" _I don't give a crap who you are!"_ The nun answered on the other side of the phone. _"You can't just go and adopt a child out of the blue! There's a process involved ya know?"_

"Oh, I understand perfectly ma'am!" Ben replied. "We talked all about that! We also talked about the possibility about adopting little Sarah too!"

" _Is that so?"_ The camel answered back. _"Do you even know what goes into taking care of a paraplegic?!"_

"I'll admit...not a lot." Terry answered.

" _She has her own wheelchair, but she's too damn active for it! She can't feel her bottom half because she's completely paralyzed there, but her upper half works just fine and she's very active. She wears a custom made skateboard attachment that she can get around in very well and she's VERY independent. However, you have to be real careful with her. She doesn't understand how to twist her body right and I'm afraid one of these days she's gonna snap her spine. Also, she has no bladder or bowel control so she'll be wearing a diaper 24/7 all the way into adulthood. She has learned to change herself, but don't be surprised if she smells like shit half the day!"_

"SISTER CAMELLA!" Suzie shouted.

" _Hey! They want her, they're gonna have to know the truth. Sometimes she needs help getting into a dress or into a diaper, but will be too stubborn to ask. Despite having no feeling in her legs, she climbs like crazy! Don't let her! If she falls, she can't adjust herself like a normal cat and can get really hurt. She's got a dozen different medications she needs to take. In short...she's a handful! I wouldn't even consider putting her up for adoption without Suzie to assist her."_

"Can we see her?" Terry asked.

" _You can see her when Suzie gets her ass over here!"_

"B-But sister!" Suzie spoke. "What about the storm?!"

" _Tough it out!"_ The camel yelled. _"I'm not about to let you spend the night with complete strangers!"_

"You're absolutely right ma'am!" Ben replied. "We'll bring her back to the orphanage right away!"

" _You better!"_ The nun replied. _"I'll see you when you get here. Goodbye!"_

Terry gave the phone back to Suzie. "Geez! She's a hardass!"

" _Yes I am! Now hang up your phone and get over here!"_

Terry jumped up. "EEP! Y-Yes ma'am!"

Suzie was concerened. "I-I-I don't wanna go! I'm so scared of lightning!"

Terry climbed up into Suzie's arms. "Look honey, I'll stay with you while Ben drives my car to the orphanage. He'll drive slow so he can follow you. Does that sound okay?"

"Okay." She replied. "I'll try to walk fast so you don't have to drive real slow Mr. Clawhauser."

"Sounds good!" Ben replied.

"Oh! And Terry?"

"Call me mom!" Terry replied.

Suzie giggled. "Mom? I'll keep you under my jacket so you don't get wet."

"Thanks honey!" Terry replied. They then left the apartment and took off towards the orphanage.

 **Meanwhile, at 10:15pm...**

Cotton and Spots were relaxing in their new room. Cotton was watching a cartoon on her tablet while Spots was back to writing in her journal. Free from the nightmare she had before now that she had company.

"I need some music to go with this." Spots said and headed over to the large stereo, inserting her C.D. And putting it full blast.

" _GET UP! COME ON, GET DOWN WITH THE SICKNESS!"_

" _GET UP! COME ON, GET DOWN WITH THE SICKNESS!"_

" _GET UP! COME ON, GET DOWN WITH THE SICKNESS!"_

" _OPEN UP YOUR HATE AND LET IT FLOW INTO ME!"_

Spots was banging her head to the music. Cotton squished her ears to her head as hard as she could. The music was deafening and everyone in the apartment, nay, the whole floor could hear it. "DADDY!" Cotton screamed.

Nick ran into the room. "I KNEW this was gonna happen! Hold on!" He turned down the volume.

Spots protested. "Hey! I was listening to that!"

"No, the whole damn building was listening to that racket!" Nick replied. "If you want to kill your eardrums, do it quietly." He handed Spots a little gift.

"What is it?" she asked.

"You'll see." he replied. "I knew this was gonna be a problem, so I already thought ahead."

She opened the package and was happily surprised. "Bleats mootooth headphones! Awesome! Thanks dad!"

"Don't thank me freckles, this is a gift to me and everyone else in the apartment as much as it's to you. Now keep your stereo mute and go deaf on your own." Nick then left the room.

"Daddy's awesome!" Cotton said. It went on deaf ears as Spots already had her headphones on.

"WHAT?!" Spots shouted.

Cotton hobbled over and lifted the headphones to yell in Spots' ear. "I SAID, DADDY'S AWESOME!"

Spots jumped back. She looked upset. "Okay! Now you've done it! The rage...it's coming out!"

Cotton squirmed a little. Spots was starting to scare her. "Wh-What are you doing?!"

Spots turned away. She grabbed her head and shook it back and forth "OH NO! I can't hold back! The monster is about to be unleashed!"

"M-Monster?"

Spots grabbed her sister. "The tickle monster!" She threw her on her bed and started tickling Cotton making her laugh and giggle. "You will surrender!" The hyena yelled. "There's no escape! Now I'm gonna eat you! Nom! Nom! Nom!" She started nibbling on Cotton's shoulders making her laugh. She finally stopped teasing her and they sat down on the edge of the bed.

Cotton confessed to her sister. "I don't like Judy that much but...daddy deserves to be happy. I wish she'd propose."

"She's not bad once you get to know her better Christy." Spots replied.

"She's mean! She won't let daddy propose to her! SHE has to propose and she might not for a long time!"

Spots petted Cotton's head. "Maybe we can think of something that'll make her."

Cotton sat for a moment. She thought of something, but quickly took it back. "What if...nah. That's dumb."

"What?! I won't say you're dumb. Not to your face anyway."

"Maybe...Maybe WE could propose to Judy for daddy?...That's dumb hunh?"

Spots picked up Cotton and spun her around. "Dumb?! That's brilliant! She'd have a MUCH harder time saying no to us! Let's go tell Petey and Mike and see what they think!"

 **Meanwhile...**

"Sister! I'm home!" Shouted Suzie with Ben behind her. She pulled Terry out of her jacket. "Here! Let me set you down."

Terry was fidgeting. "Be careful! I'm deathly afraid of heights!" As Suzie put Terry down, the tiger looked around the kitchen area. "So where's Sarah?"

"I'll call her!" Suzie replied. SARAH! I'M IN THE KITCHEN!" Suzie shouted.

However, it was Sister Camella who came out first with a cigarette hanging off her mouth. "Pipe down dammit! Yer gonna wake up the whole house."

Ben was the first to offer the nun a handshake. "Hello miss Camella! I'm officer Benjamin Clawhauser and this is my lovely wife, officer Fangm-I mean officer Terry Clawhauser!"

"Hello!" Terry replied. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

The nun just stared her down. "You're that woman aren't you?!"

Terry was confused. "Excuse me?"

"Turn around and bend over."

Terry thought it was a strange request, but she went along with it anyway. "Ummmm...okay?"

The nun studied Terry's butt. "You're the cop that mooned the other cop, ain't ya?!"

Terry was embarrassed. "Oh! Yeah. Not my best moment."

"I would say not. It was all over the news!" The nun replied. Before they could say another word, they heard the rattling of wheels coming around the corner at a high rate of speed.

It was Sarah. As she ran, her wheeled, bottom half kept hitting corners. "Suzie! Are you there?!" She shouted.

"Right here Skates!" said Suzie.

Sarah came barreling around the corner and Terry saw her for the first time. Her eyes lit up. To Terry it was the most adorable child she'd ever seen. Sarah's bottom half was attached to a flat tripod of wheels as Suzie described. "Oh my God! She's adorable!"

The little mountain lion stopped in her tracks, but not without spinning around to stop. She looked up at the two felines, he tail waving back and forth with caution. "Who are you two?"

Ben introduced himself first. "Well, I'm officer Benjamin Clawhauser and this is..."

"I'm gonna be your new mommy!" Shouted Terry which excited the little mountain lion. She ran across the floor and Terry picked her up and held her close to her chest. "Oh...Em Goodness! You're so precious!" .

Sarah rubbed her muzzle against Terry's chest. "I like you! You got muscles like a body builder!Are you really gonna be my new mommy?!"

"No." Said sister Camella.

This shocked everyone in the kitchen who then looked over at the nun. "Why not?!" asked Terry.

"Reality check honey! This isn't a pet store where you can just find your favorite bug or fish and take it home! These kids have special needs, especially Sarah. I love these children like they were my own and I'll be damned if I just hand them over to anyone!"

Terry was shocked..."but...but I thought..."

"Did you think you were just going to take them home tonight?! There's tons...TONS of inspections for me to do. I'll be visiting your house for home studies regularly to make sure that your place is fit enough for these children."

Ben intervened. "I understand perfectly ma'am. I talked to her about this already. If you'd like, you can come by the house tomorrow and check it out."

"You bet I will." Camella replied. "At least you show some respect and maturity. Unlike your wife." The camel glanced over at Terry.

Terry growled. You have some nerve! "I'll have you know, I'm VERY mature you...you big, mean, smoker person!"

"Oh really? While you were coming here, I took the liberty of looking up some information on you. You not only mooned your fellow officers, it caused a distraction that nearly cost a purse-snatcher his life. You almost got fired over it, but SOMEHOW kept your job and I'm _sure_ the gay pride parade had nothing to do with that. You then proposed to the man you've only been dating for less than a week only for the two of you to get married today and NOW, you want to adopt Suzie and Sarah after only meeting the giraffe for about what, fifteen minutes? Is that all correct?"

Terry growled and held onto Sarah tighter as if she was worried about the child being snatched away. "Listen, you little #*$ing..."

"Oh and foul language in front of children! Real nice!"

"You cussed too lady!" Terry snarled.

"You are impatient and rush into things. You seem prone to anger very easily and you want to have what you want when you want it and damn the consequences! That's not how real life works honey!"

Sister Camella then walked over to Terry. "If you want these kids, you better change your act and fast! These children are very precious to me and I won't let them be put in harm's way by someone who's reckless! Now hand over Sarah."

Terry pulled Sarah away from Camella. "Awww! I just met her! Let me just hold her a little longer. Please?!"

"Give. Her. To. Me." Camella said in a threatening tone. Terry petted Sarah's head one last time and handed her over to the nun. "Suzie is free to visit you folks when she's not in school, but she has to be home by 8pm. THAT'S EIGHT! NOT TEN THIRTY, SUZIE!"

Suzie took a big, dry swallow. "Sorry sister! It was the lightning!"

"No excuses! Now go to your room and take your sister with you and tuck her in your dresser drawer. She loves it there. Then, go to bed!"

"Okay sister!" Suzie said. She rubbed her head against Ben and Terry. "Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Clawhauser! I hope I'll see you two tomorrow!"

"Thank YOU Suzie!" Terry said hugging the giraffe's snout. "You are a very sweet and dear child and I hope we'll be your parents someday."

Suzie then left with Sarah under one arm.

Ben was a little down. "Aww! I never got to hold her!"

Terry was still mad, but managed some restraint. "WHAT'S YOUR FU-...I mean, your phone number so we may contact you tomorrow? "

"That's better. I'll give you all my contact information. I'll be over tomorrow with Suzie around 3pm. If you want to see Sarah again, you'll have to come over here."

Terry put on her best smile. "Thank you so much sister! We'll be happy to have you come and visit tomorrow."

"Well, thanks for that lie, but I'll be over anyway. I'm gonna be watching you two like a hawk so you better change your act if you want these kids."

"Yes ma'm" Terry replied while showing her fangs.

Terry and Ben got back in the care with Ben behind the wheel. "That last part was very good honey. You showed real restraint."

Terry looked around. "Are all the windows rolled up?"

"Yes."

"Thank you... #$*ING STUPID NUN WITH HER BIG, #$*ING MOUTH AND STUPID #$*ING CIGARETTE! I WANTED TO #$*ING PUNCH HER IN HER STUPID #$*ING FACE! I'M VERY #$*ING MATURE, DAMMIT!"

Ben sighed. "I think we got a bit of an uphill climb on this one."


	22. Chapter 21: Goodnight and Goodbye

Chapter 21: Goodnight and Goodbye

 **A/N FINALLY! I'm at the end of this story. Although, it's not really the end, just the end of this traditional story that went on way longer than planned. I tried to finish the story last chapter, but that went on too long as well. So now, this chapter is fairly short in comparison.**

 **Stay tuned at the bottom of the chapter for after-story notes and an erotic/comedic epilogue starring Wolford.**

 **Wednesday night, 11:15pm**

Spots and Cotton were talking to Petey and Michael about Cotton's idea for the kids to propose to Judy.

"I like it!" Said Michael with a smile. "She wouldn't say no to me, then I can be part of your family!"

Petey chimed in. "We thould get gwanpa Bobby to hewp! He'th good at that _NARF!_ thtuff!"

"Yeah!" Said Spots. "We could put in on in a public place, you could use your harmonica and Bobby could use his guitar! We could come up with our own song and everything! We need to keep this secret from dad too. That way, he can't be accused of taking part in the proposal and ticking off miss H."

Cotton looked around. "Where is daddy anyway?! He should be tucking us in for bed."

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick and Judy have just stepped out of the shower in Judy's apartment. Nick gave in to mating with her when he realized that if something goes wrong at the prison, it might be his last chance to have these final moments with her and he needed to steal her carrot pen away from her as well.

"That was wonderful Nick!" Judy said. "I really needed that badly! You have no idea!"

Nick smiled at her as he was drying off. "Well fluff, even though it's breaking your rule, I'm glad I could help you out with your biological urges. Speaking of which, I've been reading up on bunnies and their urges. Y'know? For science of course."

"Of course." She replied with a knowing wink.

"And...I know there are times that you're gonna have an urge to want kits. That's...that's something I can't provide."

"I'm not gonna lie. That's an urge I've had a few times, but I've ignored it. My focus on becoming a cop helped a lot. What made you bring this up?"

"A talk I had with Cotton. She's a little upset that her and Michael can't have a baby together."

Judy looked over at Nick. "...and how do you feel about it? What if I wanted to get pregnant?"

"I dunno. I... _SIGH!_ I know it's dumb but, I feel like these kids are mine because I took them when no one else would or the parents either died or deserted them. If you had bunny kits from a random rabbit, even if it was an anonymous rabbit, part of me would always know they're _your_ biological kits and not _mine_ and...I don't know if I could live with that. I'm sorry. I know that's selfish."

"No. No...I understand perfectly, but we don't have to worry about that for some time. By the way, why did you have us shower after sex?"

"This is the boys first night sleeping in the city and I have a funny feeling Michael's gonna wanna sleep with you tonight and I'd rather he didn't smell me on you and start asking questions. By the way, Spots decided to share her room with Cotton and that leaves a room open for me and maybe..."

"Maybe what?" She asked knowingly.

"Well...I imagine you don't want to keep paying extra rent and live in an apartment alone and I'm sure Mike would like to have you close by."

"Why Mr. Wilde! What kind of woman do you take me for? I wouldn't just move in with someone I just started dating. I'd have to at least be engaged to you first."

Nick smiled as he put on his shirt. "Is that a proposal Carrots?"

"Not yet, Red."

"Well, with that and my clothes back on, I'll bid you _adieu_. Goodnight fluff."

Judy smiled back. "Goodnight Nick."

Nick headed back to his large apartment. First, he checked up on the boys who were trying to go to sleep with a nightlight. "Hey there, secret brothers! You all set for bed?"

"I guess." Michael said. "Petey checked for any monsters under the bed and I managed to climb up here by my own, but..."

"But what?" Nick asked.

"I can't sleep! Petey didn't want this bed because he's afraid of heights, but I keep worrying I'm gonna roll off the bed and hit my head on the floor!"

"It's not a long drop Mike. I still have to bend a little just to talk with you. Besides, you got a safety rail here! You can't roll off even if you wanted to."

Michael fidgeted nervously. "I know! It's just..."

"It's your first night sleeping in a new place. Did you wanna go over to your mother's and sleep over there for the night?"

Michael answered by getting up and climbing down the short ladder off the bed. "Guess that answer's that." Nick said.

"HEY! Petey shouted. "Don't weave _HURK!_ me by mythelf!" He got up and followed Michael. Nick held Michael's hand and took him and Petey across the hall where Judy was waiting.

Judy smiled when Nick opened the door."Well look who's here! Just when I'm making hot cocoa! You guys want some?"

Mike and Petey were very happy to share some cocoa and Nick silently left them with Judy. He went back over to his place and peeked in Cotton and Spots' room. Cotton was fast asleep in her bed, but Spots was no where to be found. Nick crept up to Cotton and kissed her head. _"Goodnight, my little angel."_ He whispered.

Although he still wondered where Spots went, Nick went into his room and pulled out Judy's carrot pen. He set it to record. "To Judy, Michael and my dear, dear family. You are either listening to me on this pen right in front of me as I'm apologizing up and down to Judy or these are my final words to you..."

 **Meanwhile...**

Ben and Terry were in bed together. Terry was whimpering and sobbing over the events of the night.

"I want Suzie and Sarah!" Terry sobbed.

Ben rubbed at her ear with his paw. "I know honey. I know. It's gonna be a challenge okay? Nothing good ever comes easy. It's like they say. _'You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.'_ "

"Well, thank you, Mick Jaguar!"

"Honey. Don't focus on the negative. Think of how good a day this was! We got married! We mated for the first time today and then...many times after."

Terry giggled.

Ben continued. "...And then we came home from dinner to find our future daughter just waiting for us, like a present from God! I realize now that I have been making the right decisions lately, because...because it feels like I've been rewarded! Especially with you. You're the best decision I ever made and you made me realize who I truly am and accept it and love myself...I love you honey."

"I love you too." Terry replied.

"Y'know, for all the sex we have, none of it compares to just snuggling up with you like this."

"Really?"

"Really. This is my favorite thing in the whole world. Do you want me to get you anything? Some milk?"

"No."

"...Wanna make love?"

"Not now honey, I'm tired."

"…..Want me to turn around and then you squeeze me until I fart again?"

Terry laughed. "Yes! That's my favorite! Always makes me laugh."

Ben giggled. "You're weird!"

"You're one to talk. I hear you're a bisexual who married a transvestite!"

"The rumors are true!"

They both laughed together and eventually fell asleep in each others arms.

 **Meanwhile, at 12:00am...**

Everyone else was fast asleep, but Nick couldn't find Spots. He needed to leave to the liquor store to start his assignment. _"Spots?!"_ He whispered. He then heard some muted laughter followed by sobbing.

"Hee-Hee! Hoo-Haa! _SNIFF!_ Baaw-Haaaw!"

Nick found Spots sitting on the stairs heading down to the lobby.

"Hey freckles." Nick said. "Are you crying or laughing?"

"B-Both!" Spots replied. Her long arms wrapped around herself. "I told you before, hyenas laugh when they're scared or nervous. You're going to leave us now, aren't you?"

"Yes." Nick replied. "I can't promise I'll be okay. But I can damn well bet you. I'll do everything in my power to come home. I want you to hold onto something for me."

"Wh-what is it?" Spots asked.

He pulled out Judy's carrot pen and handed it to Spots. "Hide it from her. If I don't come back, play her the message on here. It's for all of you. If you want to know more about what's going on or you need someone to talk to, talk to Michael. He accidentally found out everything and I'm making him keep it secret, but he's gonna need someone to share the secret with or else the poor kit's gonna go nuts!"

Spots latched onto her father tightly. Tears running down her cheeks. "Don't go! You've done so much for me! Come home safe! I love you daddy!"

"I love you too princess. But if I don't try to find out who the Big Cheese is, a lot more daughters might lose their daddies and I can't let that happen! Pray for me. Okay?"

"I'm not very religious, but I will! I love you dad."

Nick kissed his daughter on the cheek goodbye. "I love you too honey. If I don't find anything by Saturday, they're gonna let me go. So I'll see you Saturday. Okay?!"

" _SNIFF!_ O-Okay!"

"Good. Now, go to your room young lady!" Nick said with a wink and left. He walked down the street with his smart phone in one jacket pocket and the gun in the other. He read over the instructions that Bogo gave him again. He shredded the instructions and threw them in the trash so that no one else saw them. Paws in his pockets, he walked down the street remembering the more fond moments of the day and he sang to himself. _"The wheels on the bus go round and round. Round and round..."_

 **12:55am at Sunny Spirits Liquor store.**

The hippo at the counter was leafing through a magazine when he eyed Nick walking into the establishment. Nick went over to a photo print machine and hooked up his smart phone to it. He printed out some of the selfies he had taken with his family and proceeded to put them in his pant pockets. He grabbed two candy bars and a small box of blueberries, then took them to the counter.

"That'll be $6.48." The hippo said as he rung up the items. As he looked back up, Nick had his gun drawn at him. "Oh! It's you!"

Nick looked mournful. "I'm sorry."

A short moment went by.

…..."BLAM!"

 **TO BE CONTINUED IN "THE PURGE PART 1: A FOX IN THE JAILHOUSE"**

 **AFTER-STORY NOTES**

What the hell happened?! This was supposed to be a short transition story. Maybe ten chapters max and it went to 21! My original plans didn't involve Clawhauser's relationship so heavily and I never intended for Nick and Judy to get back together. In fact, one of the original plans of the story, Clawhauser getting back into decent shape is still kinda ongoing. My original intention was to focus mainly on Nick and Spots and her getting over her rage and it was supposed to end with Judy finally accepting she has an anger problem and Nick seeing her go to the therapist. It was supposed to be a bridge between "Sacrifices" and "A Fox in the Jailhouse".

However, this story seems like it started to write itself at times. As if I was writing it on paper and the pen escaped my hand and went to town on it's own. But as I was writing it, I realized that some of the other minor characters had arcs of their own to overcome. Particularly Michael who was going through some tough times. Judy finally admitting she has an anger problem and is working through it was another. Petey's admission of what his mother did to him and building up his character a bit was another. I'm still working on Cotton. She'll have a moment soon, but it's hard to write for her currently.

Anyway, the next story will have a few character arcs too, but should not be near as long. The main story will focus on Nick and his time in prison, but it will also involve Judy trying to get to the truth of what Nick's up to, Spots and Michael dealing with the pressure of keeping Nick's secret and the Clawhausers trying desperately to impress sister Camella.

 **Upcoming Stories**

 **A Fox in the Jailhouse**

Nick is in jail for murder, but it's all undercover work for chief Bogo to find out the identity of the Big Cheese from one of the prisoners inside. While inside, he learns the secret of his father's deat that shocks him to his core. Meanwhile, Judy is in the dark about Nick being undercover and she risks her career to find out the truth.

 **12 Angry Officers (Short Story)**

After getting out of prison, Nick finds out one of his fellow officers is a traitor and a Big Cheese sympathizer! Nick and Bogo lock the meeting room with all the suspected officers inside and grill them until they find out the truth.

 **Reception Party (Short Story)**

Time for some music and levity. Nick uses his newly owned restaurant to host a big party for the marriage reception of Ben and Terry Clawhauser and to host the first meeting of 'Preds for Peace' afterwards. However, not all is happy go lucky as Bogo forces Nick into a decision that may change his life forever.

 **Epilogue: Who's the Bitch?**

 **LEMON WARNING! I normally don't write smut, but I do like a good dirty or gross joke here and there. Wolford's gonna learn to treat his woman better or suffer the consequences.**

Tim Wolford was sitting on the edge of his bed naked, excited and his shaft at full mast.

A voice came from the hall to the entrance of the room. "Are you ready honey?" It was his wife, Auburn.

"I'm a bit nervous, but I'm ready baby!"

Auburn came out with a slightly pregnant belly and a strap-on attached below her waist. The silicone shaft protruding over five inches.

Tim gave a nervous swallow. "That thing's a bit bigger than me!"

"You'll be fine baby. After all, you've been doing anal on me since the pregnancy, right?"

"...I guess."

"Good. Did you take all of your laxatives?"

"Are you kiddin'?! I've been poopin' soup fer three hours straight! I'm ready fer a friggin' colonoscopy!"

"Very good." Auburn said with a Cheshire Cat-like smile. "I've got the lube. Now, get on all fours and on the bed!"

He did as she asked. She got behind him and lubed up his anus. "WHOO! Dat's cold!" He shouted.

"Sorry baby! I didn't have time to properly warm it"

"J-Just take it nice and slow okay? This is my first time bein' penetrated."

"Oh honey, I'm gonna treat you as good as you treated me my first time. I even have a safety word. Do you know what it is?"

"No. What's the word babe?"

"The word is...REVENGE!"

"What?!"

With that, Auburn rammed the strap-on shaft silicone-balls deep into Tim. "YIPE!" screamed Wolford. "OOHH! OWW! AAAHH!" WHAT 'DA HELL ARE YA DOIN'?!"

" _'Just relax babe!'_ you said. _'It's normal for it to be painful at first!'_ you said! You didn't go slow! So ya know what?! I'm not going slow! Take...THIS!"

"YEEEEOW! MY COLON!"

Auburn rode Tim like a rider on a bucking bronco. Wolford tried to shake her off, but to no avail.

"OW! Honey! OOOHHH! Please! UUUNNHH!"

Auburn didn't stop.

"OOH! EEE! OOH! AAH-AAH!"

" _Ting-Tang! Wallah, Wallah, Bing-Bang!"_ Auburn sung back. "Now, who's the bitch in this house Tim?!"

"Burny-Baby! Slow down!"

"WHO'S THE BITCH?!"

"I AM!" Tim screamed. "I'M THE BITCH!"

"Damn right you are!" She said and pulled out of the poor wolf. Tim almost passed out on the bed moaning and holding his bottom.

Wolford was upset. "What the hell was that about?!"

"You did the EXACT same thing to me when we first had anal. I told you it hurt, but you didn't listen! When your wife tells you she's uncomfortable or in pain, you stop! Even after marriage, no means no Tim!"

Tim's ears drooped down. "Yer right babe. I-I'm sorry. I didn't listen cuz I was enjoying it too much. Do you forgive me?"

Auburn kissed him on the lips "Of course I do honey. All I ask is that you listen."

"Thanks babe." Wolford got back on all fours again. "Now let's finish 'dis."

Auburn was surprised. "Really?!"

"Really. I wuz getting' kinda into it near the end. Just take it slow this time, okay? Also,I just want it to go on record that while I'm your bitch, I'm 100% all alpha man! Capiche?"

Auburn just rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say...Bitch."


End file.
